Hunger Games : Soul Eater
by BlackAngel-Chan
Summary: In a far distant future, twenty-six tributes must fight to the death and only one shall stand to be the victor. Follow Maka Albarn and Soul Eater Evans as their struggle to survive in the Hunger Games.
1. Chapter 0

**Chapter 0: PROLOUGE**

**In a far distant future, ** the county of Panem, a country that rose from the ashes of a place once called North America. Many disasters later, Panem rose, a shining Capitol ringed by thirteen districts.

Then the two Dark Days came…

The first Dark Days is when the uprising began. The twelve defeated and the thirteenth obliterated.

The second Dark Days, when the witches and the prince of Darkness, Asuri, rose, unleashing and declaring war on the entire country of Panem, leaving it in panic and millions dead.

The Capitol finally discovered Death City and had it under it's control. It became the new District 13, where they made weapons and magic items for the Capitol.

They defeated Asuri and had Death City under the Treaty of Treason, since the Capitol was affected by the war.

The Treaty Of Treason gave them new laws that guarantee peace and, as their yearly reminder that the two Dark Days must never happen again, it gave them the Hunger Games.

The rules of the Hunger Games are simple. In punishment for the uprising and lies, each district must provide one boy and one girl, called tributes, to participate. The twenty-six tributes will be imprisoned In a vast outdoor arena that could hold anything from a frozen wasteland to a burning dessert. Over a period of a few weeks, the competitors will fight to the death. The last tribute standing wins.

And now, a hundred and eighty five years after Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark's victory, will District 13 finally have it's fifth victor or one of it's losses?

**Please enjoy this crossover **


	2. Chapter 1, Part 1

Chapter 1

Desclaimer: I do not own either Soul Eater or the Hunger Games

X

Maka Albarn woke up early that morning. The air was cold and windy. She wanted warmth. She was shivering, but, of course, the weather wasn't to blame. It was reaping day. Again. Maka hated it. She wanted to be free from reaping, but it won't be possible. She may either be killed or imprisoned. Maybe both.

Maka swung her legs off the bed and slid into her back hunting boots with the white straps. She pulled on black trousers, a white shirt and a yellow jacket. She tied her ash blonde hair in her signature pigtails. Her olive green eyes gleamed in the sunlight. She grinned. Maka Albarn was ready to hunt.

Before she left, Maka went to her father's room. Spirit Albarn was still snoring in his bed. He was sleeping, thank goodness, Maka thought. The Death Scythe was unbearable when he was awake. How Maka got along with Spirit was a mystery to Maka. She slipped outside quietly, grabbing a small jar of honey from the table. Their part of District 13, called the Grave, was usually crawling with weapon makers, technicians and forgers heading out to the factories at that hour. Today, the streets were empty. The reaping doesn't start until two, so anyone could just rest. If they could.

Maka's house was at the edge of the Grave so she could just pass through several gates to get into a scruffy field called the Valley. Only an electrical fence enclosing District 13 kept Maka away from the forest. And the only solution was to jump across the gates. It was a good thing Maka was athletic. She jumped from one foot, leapt through the air, landed on a small pole on the fence and land on the other side of the fence on her feet.

As soon as Maka was on the trees, she retrieved a bow and a sheath of arrows from a hollow log. Originally, District 13 was called Death City, since they were in the middle of a dessert called Death Valley. The desert became a forest since the Capitol used its advanced technology to grow plants and let other living organisms live there.

Even though trespassing in the woods is illegal and poaching carried the severest of all punishments, most people would risk it if they had weapons. Or if they were weapons. Meisters were forbidden to have a partner as the law indicated. It was stated to be an act of rebellion, so no one ever dared to do it. Well, except Maka's mother, Kami, and her father, Spirit.

In her hands, Kami turned Spirit into a Death Scythe, though it was illegal. But the Peacekeepers allowed it anyway, since they thought Kami and Spirit will be their final line of defence just in case someone attacks District 13.

The Peacekeepers also turned a blind eye to Maka's hunting, since she's their only source of meat. In the woods waits the only person with whom Maka could be herself. Death the Kid, the son of the mayor, the Grim Reaper (Shinigami-sama).

Maka could feel her face relaxing, her pace quickening as she climmed the hills to their place; a rockledge overlooking a valley. The sight of him makes Maka smile. Kid said that Maka never smile except in the Valley.

"hey, Maka" said Kid. "look at what I got". He held up a loaf of bread. It was real bakery bread, not the ones they made from rotation grain. Maka took it in her hands and inhaled the fragrance that made her mouth water.

"wow…this is amazing" Maka said. "what did it cost you?"

"a rabbit" Kid shrugged. "and some berries. Don't worry. I made sure they're all symmetrical"

Maka snorted. She knew about Kid's mental illness. His OCD- obssessive compulsive disorder-affects everything. If he sees something that's not symmetrical, he'll either go nuts or cry about it.

"That's good news" Maka said sarcastically. She brought out the small jar of honey from her pocket. "I brought honey"

Kid's face brightens. "Thank you, Maka! We'll have a feast!" . Suddenly, he falls into a Capitol accent as he mimicks Blair Catswell, the maniacally upbeat woman who arrives fresh from the Capitol once a year to read the names at the reaping. "I forgot! Happy Hunger Games!" he said. "and may the odds-"

"Be ever in your favour!" Maka continued with an equal verve.

Maka couldn't believe that she was happy for once. Growing up in District 13 was hard, especially when her mother disappeared a month ago. Kami and Spirit filed a divorce and Spirit had custody over Maka. Kami moved away somewhere and Maka never saw her again. That's why Maka hated her father. He was the reason why her mother left them. But she knew he was the reason why he's very smart. He provided her with books that she needed and Maka became a bookworm. She loved books and because of that, she knew everything about the nature and the wild.

"Did your father told you what happened to Deayh City after the war?" Maka asked.

Kid shrugged. "he just tells me the same thing he always says. After the war with Asuri and the witches, the Capitol finally discovered Death City and decided to make it its new District 13. The Capitol helped to stop Asuri and after that, they had Death City under its rule."

"what about the school he built? DWMA?" Maka asked again.

"Closed down. The meisters and weapons were divided. The weapons are on the other side of the district while us Meisters are stuck at the Grave" Kid said glumly.

Maka chuckled. " I'm stuck at the Grave while you're at your mansion"

Kid scowled. "yes, and that mansion is symmetrical compared to the Grave"

Maka couldn't help but to laugh.

"so, what do you want to do?" she asked.

"let's fish in the lake. We can leave our poles and gather in the woods. Get something nice for tonight" said Kid.

Tonight. After the reaping, everyone was suppose to celebrate. At least two families will not. They would have their shutters closed and wait for the grusome weeks to come.

Maka and Kid did well. The predators ignored them on a day when prey abounds. By late morning, they had a dozen fish, two fat rabbits, four squirrels and a large quantity of strawberries.

Maka found the patch years ago, but Kid had an idea to string mesh nets around it to keep animals out. On the way home, they swung by the Ware, the black market that operates in an abandoned factory that once created bombs. Most businesses were closed by that time on reaping day, but the black market was fairly busy.

They easily traded six of the fish for bread, the other two for salt. Maka traded half of the greens for a new book and Kid traded some of the strawberries for a silver skull-shaped pin.

When they finished their business at the market, Maka and Kid went to the backdoor of the Head Peacekeeper's house to trade the rest of the strawberries knowing that he has a fondness for them and can afford their price. The peacekeeper's son, BlackStar, opened the door.

He was a year at their school, but Maka nor Kid rarely talk to him.

"Oy, what's up? Glorious day for the reaping today, huh? Sure glad the great BlackStar will brighten up your day!" BlackStar grinned.

Maka hated BlackStar. Sure, he's a friend, but he was annoying and really really noisy. Today, his ninja-like clothes were replaced by a white polo, black trousers and boots-reaping clothes.

"Nice clothes," said Maka.

BlackStar shoots her a look, trying to see if it was a compliment or if the blonde was just being ironic. He supresses a grin.

"well, if I ended up in the Capitol, I want to look nice, don't i?" he asked.


	3. Chapter 1, part 2

**Chapter 1, part 2**

**Sorry for the very, very long wait. I was busy so I had to cut short on BlackStar's line. Hope you don't hate me for that!**

"you won't be going to the Capitol," Maka said coolly. "what can you have? Four entries? I had four when I was twelve"

"that's not my fault" BlackStar pointed out.

"No, it's no one's fault. Just the way it is" said Maka.

BlackStar's face became closed off. He puts the money for the berries on Kid's hand.

"Good luck, Kid. You too, miss Irony" said BlackStar and the doors closed.

Maka and Kid walked back to the Grave in silence. Maka hated the reaping system. It was really unfair, with the poor getting the worst of it. Maka knows that one person could become eligible for the reaping the day he or she turns twelve. That year, their name is entered once. At thirteen, twice. And so on and so on until they reached the age of eighteen, the final day of eligibility, where the names enter the pool seven times.

_But there was a catch…._

Maka's poor and starving, like everyone else in District 13. So she opt to add her name more times in exchange for tessarae. Each tessera is worth a mearge year's supply of grain and oil for one person. She had to do it for each of her family members. At the age of twelve, Maka's name had been entered four times. Once because she had to and three times for tesserae for grain and oil for herself, her mother and her father. In fact, she had to do it every year. And all the entries were cumulative. So now, at the age of fifteen, her name will be in the reaping sixteen times. Kid, who is sixteen and since he's the mayor's son, he didn't need to sign up for tesserae, his name will be in the reaping five times.

Maka was ticked off because BlackStar never had to sign up for tessarae and he just kids around about the reaping.

Kid was absolutely different. He also hunts for food, like Maka. He knows how to survive and he knows how to gather food without depending for others.

Kid and Maka divided their spoils, leaving two fish, a couple loaves of bread, one rabbit, two squirrels, greens, salt and a bit of money for each of them.

"see you in the square"said Maka.

"wear something pretty" Kid smiled.

Back home, Maka found her father ready to go. Spirit was wearing a black tuxedo with a black crucifix tie.

A tub of warm water waits for Maka. She scrubbed the dirt and filth from the woods and even washed her hair. After the bath, Maka changed into her reaping clothes: a white long-sleeved button down shirt, a yellow sweater vest, a red plaid skirt, and her black hunting boots with white buckles. Maka towel-dried her hair and tied it back in pigtails. She looked in her cracked mirror and could hardly recognize herself. Spirit entered the room and smiled. "you look beautiful, Maka" he said. "you're the splitting image of your mother"


	4. Chapter 1, part 3

Chapter 1, Part 3

Maka probably blushed. She rarely got compliments from her father, since he works day and night. Well, except if he's in the strip club….

But he rarely sees Maka.

"Thanks, dad," she said, smiling. "Come on, let's eat"

Maka cooked the rabbit and greens into stew, leaving the rest of the food for storage.

At one o'clock, they both head to the square. Attendance was mandatory, unless you were at Death's door.

The square was one of the few places in District Thirteen that can be pleasant. The square's surrounded by shops and on public market days, it has a holiday feel to it. Today, despite the bright banners that hang on the buildings, there was an air of grimness. Camera crews only add to the effect.

People filed in silently and signed in. the reaping was a good opportunity for the Capitol to keep tabs on the population. Twelve to Eighteen year-olds were herded to roped areas marked off by ages, the oldest in the front, the youngest at the far back. Family members line up around the perimeter. It was the third time Maka saw Weapons and Meisters together in one place. How the Peacekeepers manage to know the difference was still a mystery to Maka.

The space gets more tighter, more claustrophobic, as soon as more people arrive. The square was quite large, but not big enough to hold District 13's population of about three thousand. Latecomers were directed to the streets, where they can watch the event on large screens as its televised live by the state.

Maka found herself standing in a clump of fifteens from the Grave. They all exchanged nervous nods , then focused their attention on the temporary stage that they set up in front of the Justice Building. It held three chairs, a podium and two large glass balls, one for the boys and one for the girls. Maka stared at the paper slips in the girls' ball. Sixteen of them had Maka Albarn written on them in careful handwriting.

Two of the three chairs filled with Kid's father, Lord Death, a man who always wears a black cloak that covers his entire body and a white skull mask. He was the one who created Death City ( Now District Thirteen) in the first place, and Blair Catswell, District Thirteen's escort, fresh from the Capitol, with her silly grin, long purple hair and extremely short dress and high-heeled shoes. They murmur to each other as they looked with concern at the empty seat.

Just as the town clock struck two, the mayor steps at the podium and began to read. It was the same thing every year. He tells the history of Panem, the country that rose up at the ashes of a place once called North America. The result was Panem, a shining Capitol ringed with thirteen districts. Then the Dark Days, when the uprising began. Twelve were defeated and the thirteenth obliterated.

Then the second Dark Days, when Asuri and the witches unleashed their dark magic, leaving millions dead and the entire world in ruins.

That's when the Capitol discovered Death City and had it under its control. They defeated Asuri and imprisoned him again in the heart of Death City.

Then Death City was sentenced under the treaty of treason, since Death City joined forces with the rebellion a few years back.

The Treaty of Treason gave them new rules that guaranteed peace and, as their yearly reminder that the two Dark Days may never happen again, it gave them the Hunger Games.

At first, it only allowed twenty four tributes, now, since the Capitol discovered Death City, they finally allowed twenty six.

The rules of the Hunger Games were simple. In punishment for the uprising and betrayal, each of the thirteen districts must provide one boy and one girl, called tributes, to participate. The twenty six tributes will be imprisoned in a vast outdoor arena that could hold anything from a burning desert to a frozen wasteland. Over a period of several weeks, the competitors must fight to the death and the last tribute standing wins.

To make it humiliating as well as torturous, the Capitol requires them to treat the Hunger Games as a festivity, a sporting event pitting away district against district. The last tribute alive will be showered with prizes, largely consisting of food.

"It is both time for repentance and a time for thanks," intrudes Lord Death.

Then he reads the list of the past District Thirteen victors. In a hundred and eighty five years, they had exactly four. Only one was still alive. Franken Stein (**I'm sorry, I don't know exactly how to spell his name. Forgive me T_T)**.

A middle-aged man with a mop of gray hair and green eyes dressed in a scientist's lab coat and a green turtle neck with gray pants and leather shoes full of stitches and has a large screw stuck in his head, climbs to the stairs and bows to the crowd. He takes his seat next to Blair.

Lord Death pulls the attention back to the reaping by introducing Blair Catswell.

Bright, bubbly and more cat-like than ever, Blair Catswell trots to the podium and gives her signature, "Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be _ever _ in your favour!"

The crowd of men and boys (Maka could see her father too) went wild as Blair blew kisses to them.

Through the crowd, Maka spots Kid with a ghost of a grin on his lips. As the reapings go, at least this one has a slight entertainment factor.

It was finally time for the drawing. Blair says as she always does, "Ladies first." And crosses to the glass ball containing the girls' names. She reaches in, digs her hand deep into the bowl and pulls out a slip of paper. Maka could feel her heart beating through her chest. She wished that it couldn't be her. It just couldn't be.

Blair crosses back to the podium, smoothes the paper and reads the name in a clear voice.

"Maka Albarn," said Blair.


	5. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

Maka wanted to couldn't remember how to breathe, unable to speak. _SHE_ was chosen? All eyes were on her now. Maka could see the tears streaming from her father's eyes. His only daughter was the tribute for the hated Hunger Games. With her hands clenched tight in fists on her sides, Maka walked to the stage. She steeled herself and climbed the steps.

"Bravo!" said Blair. "We have a pretty tribute, ladies and gentlemen. Maka, right?"

Maka nodded slowly. "Well, let's give her a big round of applause to our newest tribute, Maka Albarn!" trills Blair.

To the everlasting credit of the people in District 13, not one person claps. Possibly because they knew Maka or knew her parents.

So instead of acknowledging applause, Maka stood there unmoving while they take part in the boldest form of descent that they could manage: Silence.

Then, something unexpected happens. At least, Maka didn't expect it because she doesn't think of District 13 as a place that cares about her. But a shift occurred ever since Maka's name was called and now it seems like she became someone precious.

At first it was Spirit, then Kid, then BlackStar, almost every member of the crowd touches the three middle fingers of their left hand to their lips and held it out to Maka. It was an old and rarely used gesture/of the entire country, occasionally seen at funerals. It meant thanks, it meant admiration. It meant saying goodbye to someone you love.

Maka was in a danger of crying. She felt one tear streak across her cheek.

Blair tried to keep the ball rolling. "What an interesting day!" she said. "But, there's more excitement to come. It's time to choose our boy tribute"

She crosses to the ball that contained the boys' name and grabs the first slip she encounters. She zips back to the podium and Maka barely had time to pray Kid his safety when Blair was already reading the name.

"Soul Eater Evans"

_SOUL EATER EVANS? _ Maka thought. _Oh no. not him._

Maka recognized the name, although she had never spoken to its owner before.

No, the odds were not in Maka's favour today.

She watched Soul as he makes his way to the stage. Medium height, stocky built, pale skin, spiky white hair and blood red eyes.

The shock of the moment was registering on his face, but Maka could see his struggle to remain emotionless, but his red eyes show the alarm Maka had seen so often in prey. Yet Soul climbs the stage steadily and takes his place.

Blair asks for volunteers but no one steps forward. Soul only has one brother- Wes, as Maka had seen him in the small pie shop they own, but he was probably too scared to volunteer for his brother.

Lord Death begins to read the long, dull Treaty of Treason as he does every year at that point –it was required-but Maka wasn't listening to a single word.

_Why him?_ She thought. Then she tried not to convince herself that it doesn't matter. She and Soul were not friends. Not even neighbors. They don't speak to each other. The only real interaction happened years ago. Soul probably had forgotten about it, but Maka haven't and she knows she never will…

On the afternoon of her encounter with Soul, the rain was falling in endless icy sheets. She was too hungry. She's been at the public market, trying to trade some of her personal belongings and got a good deal with two loaves of bread, but it wasn't enough. Soon enough, she found herself stumbling along a muddy lane behind the shops that serves the wealthiest of people. Then she realized that she was in the weapons' part of the district.

She walked ahead, ignoring the smells of different delicacies the merchants were selling. All forms of stealing in their district are punishable by death.

But as she walked, Maka couldn't handle her hunger anymore. She collapsed at the nearest apple tree, near the pie shop. She felt sick and tired and hungry. But she has to go home to her family, where they wait for her arrival with the chance of eating whatever food she has brought along with her. But Maka didn't have the energy to stand up anymore. She was afraid that she was going to die there, all alone, hungry and in the rain.

She didn't notice that a boy with unnaturally white hair and red eyes approached her. He seemed nice and in his arms he carried two pies. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

But Maka couldn't answer. The boy sighs and carried her in his arms, the pies safely tucked in a basket. Maka wasn't sure if the boy was carrying her to the Peacekeepers to report her that she crossed the boundaries, but instead, though her half-hooded eyes, she could see that the boy was carrying her to her house, though Maka had no idea how the boy knew where she lived. He knocked on her door and Kami answered. Spirit took Maka from the boy's arms and thanked him. Maka saw that the boy gave them the basket of pies.

After that, she fell asleep, dreaming about the boy who helped her.

The next morning, it didn't occur to Maka that the boy left something for her. A yellow jacket with a single black stripe in the waist. Probably a gift, but why? He didn't know her and vice versa.

She ate a slice of the pie he gave them (it was blueberry) for breakfast before heading off to school.

It was as if spring came overnight. Warm, sweet air. Fluffy clouds. At school, she passed the boy at the hallway, his cheek swollen and his eye had blackened. He was with his friends and didn't acknowledge her in any way. But as she walked home that afternoon, she found him staring at her across the schoolyard. Their eyes only met for a second then he turned his head away.

Maka dropped her gaze, embarrassed, and that's when she saw it.

The first dandelion of the year. A bell rang inside her head. She thought of the hours spent in the woods with her mother and father and knew how she can survive.

To this day, Maka can never shake the connection between that boy, Soul Eater Evans , and the pies that gave her new hope and the dandelion that reminded her that she was not doomed.

Maka wanted to thank Soul, but the opportunity will never cease to exist. Because they were both going to be thrown into an arena to fight to the death.

Lord Death finally finishes the Treaty of Treason and motions for Maka and Soul to shake hands. His hands were as solid and warm as those pies. Soul looks Maka straight in the eye and gave her what she thinks is meant to be a reassuring squeeze. They turn back to face the crowd as the anthem of Panem plays.

_Oh, well._ Maka thought. _There will be twenty six of us. Odds are someone is going to kill Soul first before I do._

Of course, the odds haven't been dependable lately…


	6. Chapter 3

The moment the anthem ends, Maka and Soul were taken into custody.

A group of Peacekeepers marches them though the front door of the Justice Building.

Once inside, Maka was conducted in a room and was left alone. It was the richest place she's ever been in, with thick, deep carpets and velvet couch and chairs. When she sat on the couch, Maka couldn't help but to run her finger though the fabric. It helped her calm down as she try to prepare herself for the next hour. The time allotted for the tributes to say goodbye to their loved ones. Maka cannot afford to get upset, to leave the room with puffy eyes and a red nose. Crying was not an option. There will be more cameras at the station.

Her father came in first. For the first time in years, Maka threw her arms around him.

"Dad…I'm scared" she whispered to his ear.

"It's okay, honey," said Spirit, pulling away. "You're tough. You're strong and smart. You'll survive. You can do this"

Maka felt herself smile. "Papa, don't worry. I'll come back home alive." She promised. "Kid will bring you food. And whatever happens at the arena, stay strong, okay?"

Spirit nodded. "Understood," he said. "And don't worry. I know how to take care of myself."

Maka hugged her father one last time as she, for the first time, uttered the words, "I love you, papa" she said.

Spirit grinned, wiping a tear from his eye. "I love you too, my angel" he said. They were that way until the Peacekeepers called Spirit back. Spirit pulled away and patted his daughter's shoulder. "Stay safe, okay?"

Maka nodded. "Okay, papa" she smiled.

Spirit smiled just as the door closed behind him.

Someone else entered the room. Maka looked up and saw that it was Soul's father, the pie maker.

Maka couldn't believe that he would visit her. After all, she was going to kill his son very soon. But they did know each other since Maka's his prime source of rabbit meat.

The pie maker sits awkwardly on one of the plush chairs.

"Maka, one piece of advice," he said. "I know you're a meister and my son's a weapon. If you're defenseless in the arena, team up, okay? He relies on a partner that he could trust wholeheartedly."

"I…I don't understand," Maka stammered.

The pie maker only smiled. "You'll understand very soon," he said. "I just came to say goodbye and to give you this".

He reached into his pocket and gave Maka a small plastic full of cookies. A luxury she can never afford.

"Thank you," she said. "Kid can repay you with rabbits"

The pie maker grinned. "I wouldn't mind. I love rabbits"

When the pie maker left, the next guest was also unexpected. It was Black*Star. As soon as the door closes behind him, he grins. Maka stood up uneasily but Black*Star motions her to sit down. She did and the ninja sat on the chair across her.

"Look, in the arena, you either kill or get killed. And your only option is to run or kill. Got that?" he asked. Maka only nodded.

"Get a good hiding spot; make sure none of the Careers see you. Get a good weapon. A spear, a sword or a bow and arrows. If you team up with a weapon, be sure your soul's in it too. You got that?" Black*Star asked. Maka nodded.

Black*Star stood up and hugged Maka, which really surprised the blonde.

"Good luck," he said then left.

Finally, Kid arrived. When he opened his arms, Maka ran straight into them. "Listen," he said. "Getting a knife is easy, but you have to get your hands on a bow. It's your only chance"

Maka nodded. "I can handle that" she said.

Then Kid sighed. "They let you wear one token from your district that reminds you of home. Katniss Everdeen from District 12 had the same pin decades ago, but this one is special. This belonged to my father during the war with Asura. Will you wear this in the arena?" he asked, showing Maka a small circular pin that's made out of real gold. It was a small bird in flight, carrying an arrow and behind it was Death City's logo: a skull.

"A pin?" Maka asked.

Kid nodded, pinning it to Maka's vest. "I hope you get Katniss's luck. You're the best hunter I've ever seen, Maka. Make sure you win, okay?"

Maka smiled. "Okay," she said, embracing Kid and planting a kiss on his cheek.

"Can you kiss the other one? To make it symmetrical?" Kid asked, smirking. Maka pulled away, laughing. She punched Kid's arm lightly.

"Don't push your luck, Kid" she said.

The Peacekeepers finally asked Kid to leave and he obliged, giving Maka one more smile before the doors closed behind him.

It was a short ride from the Justice Building to the train station. Maka had never been in a car before, rarely ever ridden on wagons. In the Grave, she travels on foot.

Maka had been right not to cry. The station was swarming with reporters and their cameras trained on her face. Maka caught a glimpse of herself on a television screen and felt gratified that she looked absolutely bored.

Soul Eater Evans, on the other hand, hasn't been crying, yes, but he smiled at the cameras and waved at the crowd as if he was a celebrity or something, perhaps trying to act cool.

Maka guessed that he was excited about the games, exited about killing her.

Maka shook the idea away as they stood for a few days in the doorway of the train while the cameras gobbled up their images, then they were finally allowed inside and the doors finally closed behind them. The train began to move at once.

The tribute train was fancier than the room in the Justice Building. She and Soul were each given their own chambers that have a bedroom, a dressing area and a bathroom.

The drawers were filled with fine clothes and Blair told Maka to do anything she wanted. Anything she wanted, everything is at her disposal. Just be ready for supper in an hour.

Maka peeled off her outfit and took a hot shower. She chose a new outfit from the wardrobe: a white shirt, a black skirt and her hunting boots. Of course, Maka loved her boots. It belonged to Kami and it was her only reminder of her mother.

Maka took the pin from the other vest and pinned it to her shirt. She suddenly recognized the bird, its wings attached to the ring. A mockingjay.

Her own father and mother loved mockingjays. They would sing songs to them, and after a respectful pause, they would sing back to Spirit and Kami. The mockingjays always sung back. Maka wished she had Katniss Everdeen's luck.

Blair came to collect Maka for supper. Maka had to follow Blair though the narrow, rocking corridor into the dining room with polished parallel walls. There was a table made of mahogany where all the dishes are highly breakable. Soul sits waiting for them, the chair next to him empty.

"Where's Frankenstein?" Blair asks brightly.

"Smoking," replied Soul.

Blair snorted. "Oh, that man! He should learn some proper manners!" she huffed. Then she hugged Soul tightly, pressing his face against her breasts. "But you on the other hand, you're so CUTE! Play with me, Soul!"

Soul struggled, but after a few minutes, he finally managed to push Blair away. Maka noticed that Soul's nose was bleeding.

"Don't you want to play with Blair, Soul?" Blair asked.

Soul's eyes narrowed. "No," he firmly said.

Blair looked a little disappointed and she just sat on her chair.

The supper came in course. A thick carrot soup, green salad, lamb chops and mashed potatoes soaked in creamy gravy. And for dessert, a three layer chocolate cake with a towering glass of strawberry ice cream.

Throughout the meal, Blair kept reminding them to save space because there were more to come. But Maka was stuffing herself because she never had food like that and because probably the best thing she could do between now and the Games is to gain a few pounds.

"At least the both of you have manners, unlike the pairs from the previous years," said Blair and with that, she picked up a red snapper with her hand and swallowed it whole. Maka suppressed her laughter. She glanced at Soul and saw that he was snickering. But Blair's comment was very rude. So, just to prove her point, Maka ate the rest of her meal with her fingers and wiped her hand at the tablecloth. Blair pursed her lips tightly.

When the meal was finally over, Maka was fighting to keep the food down. Soul, too, was looking a bit green. Neither of their stomachs can hold down the rich food.

They went to another compartment to watch the recap of the reapings across Panem. One by one, their teams saw the faces of the kids that they'll be facing. The names were being called, and some kids stepping forward, volunteering. Maka examined the faces and a few stood out in her mind.

A boy with glasses from District 2, a beautiful blonde from District 3, a girl with a scar on her right eye from District 5, a boy with brown hair and red eyes from District 10 and a pale, pink-haired girl from District 12.

And finally, District 13.

They replayed the whole thing: Maka's name being called. The commentators were not even sure what to say about the silent salute. They focused on her face, the tear running from her eye. They even said that it was so sweet, with Maka crying for her fate.

It surely disgusted Maka, with the people of the Capitol getting the wrong idea of her tears, which shed for the loss of her freedom and now, she was sure it was never coming back.

Then Soul's name being drawn and they shook hands. The anthem finished playing and the screen went dark.

Just then, Frankenstein staggered into the room, smelling like smoke.

"Did I miss supper?" he asked.

Blair nodded. "Where have you been?" she asked.

"Outside, smoking, my hot lady," Frankenstein slurred, billowing smoke to Blair's face.

Blair coughed. "Goodnight," said Frankenstein and left.

Maka and Soul looked at each other and laughed. Blair huffed. "So laugh away!" she yelled and ran out of the room.


	7. Chapter 4

Maka and Soul went back to their rooms.

"So, um, see you in the morning," said Maka, trying to be nice to Soul Eater Evans for once.

"Goodnight," said Soul, grinning. He entered his room and shut the door behind him. As Maka entered her room, an idea pulls her up short. A kind Soul Eater Evans was far more dangerous than an unkind one. Kind people have a way on working their way inside Maka and rooting there. And she couldn't let Soul do that. Not where they were going.

So she decided that from that moment on, she'll have little to do with the boy who saved her life. The train paused at a platform to refuel. Maka quickly opened the window and tossed the cookies the pie maker gave her out of the train and slammed the glass shut. No more of either of them. Unfortunately, the cookies opened in a rose bush. But it wasn't any ordinary rose bush. It was white and pink roses. Her favorites. Maka only saw the image for a second becaause the train was off again, but it was enough to remind Maka of the flowers in the school yard years ago...

Maka just turned away from Soul's bruised face when she saw the single white rose bush and she knew that hope wasn't lost. She plucked the flower carefully and headed to the Valley, and yes. There were many flowers and edible plants- dandelion, onion, pokeweed, and much much more. She grabbed a bucket and harvested the weeds and plants. And after a mile, she had a bucketful of their dinner. That night, she and her family gorged themselves on salad and stew and the rest of the pies.

And, of course, they needed more food. Maka borrowed a book from her mother about different plants. Soon enough, she memorized every single plant in that book, especially the ones that were edible.

The next day after school. For a while, Maka hung around the Valley and finally had the courage to go through the fence. She even made her own bow and quiver of arrows with the help of her mother and father.

Most of the time, she perched up in a branch of an old oak tree, waiting for game to come by. After several hours of waiting, she shot three fat rabbits.

The forest became their savior and each day, Maka went a bit further in its arms. It was slow going at first, but Maka was determined to feed her family.

Maka learned how to trade in the black market, the Ware. Game was game after all, whoever shot it. Maka also sold at the backdoors of the wealthier clients in town, learning new tricks.

For a while, Maka stood staring at the window. In a distance, she could see the lights of another district. Seven? Twelve? She wasn't sure. She thought of the people in their houses, settling in for bed. She imagined her him, with its shutters drawn tight. What about Spirit? Was he able to eat supper? The rabbit stew? Or did it lay untouched in his plate? Surely, he cried.

Imagining her home made Maka ache with loneliness. Could she and Kid have been eating bread and honey that morning? It seemed like a lifetime ago.

Maka decided to sleep in her comfy bed. The sheets were made of soft, silky fabric. The thick, fluffy quilt gave immediate warmth.

Maka fell asleep immediately, into a dreamless sleep.

Gray light was streaking through the curtains when the rapping rouses 's voice called her to rise.

"Up, my dear! It's going to be a very BIG BIG BIG day!"she trilled in her shrilly voice. Maka quickly sat up and found a purple cat with big almond eyes sitting in front of her, licking its paws. Maka first thought that it was a stray, but it was wearing a witch's hat. Blair's hat. Of course. Blair Catswell was known to be the very famous cat witch.

"Did you sleep very well?" she asked.

"Uhm, sure." Maka said, smiling. She was half-annoyed that Blair woke her up too early, but half-overjoyed to know that she was still alive. At least, for now.

Maka wore her clothes that she wore in the reaping; the white long-sleeved button-up shirt, the canary yellow vest, her plaid skirt, a green necktie and her boots.

She tied her ash blonde hair back into pigtails and assessed her reflection in the mirror. She realized that that girl in the mirror might not make it back home, might die in the arena in the hands of the other tributes, might never be the same before or after the games.

Then Maka realized that they were nearing the Capitol now, and once they reach the city, her stylist will dictate her look for the opening ceremonies tonight. Maka hoped that she wouldn't get one who thinks that scars and stitches are the last words in fashion.

As she entered the dining car, Blair, in her human form, greets her good morning while holding a cup of dark coffee. Frankenstein was chuckling. Soul holds a cupcake and looks somewhat embarrassed but when he saw Maka, he grinned.

"Sit down," said Frankenstein, waving Maka over. The moment she sat down her chair, Maka was served an enormous platter of food. Eggs, ham, a pile of fried potatoes. A tureen of fruir in ice to keep it chilled a basket of pastries and an elegant glass of orange juice.

Maka began eating and when her stomach felt like it was going to burst, she leaned back and takes in her breakfast companions. Soul was still eating, forking up the fried potatoes. Frankenstein hasn't touch his platter yes. He was still smoking his cigarette.

The smoke made Maka nauseated. She didn't know Frankenstein very much, but she had seen him around the Ware, buying his cigars and liquor. Then Maka realized that she detested Frankenstein. No wonder district thirteen ever stood a chance. It wasn't because of their lack of proper training, or being underfed. It was because of their mentor. Sponsors expect someone classier than an unstable smoker like Frankenstein to deal with.

"So, you're supposed to give us some advice," said Maka.

"Here's your advice. Stay alive," said Frankenstein then bursts out laughing.

Maka exchanges a look with Soul and was surprised to see hardness in them, with hatred and pure anger in his blood-red eyes. He generally seemed so mild and mellow to Maka.

"That's very funny," said Soul. "Only not to us"

Then his arm morphed into a ten-foot long red and black scythe blade. It was deadly sharp and Maka was glad she wasn't near Soul.

Soul swung his scythe arm and sliced Frankenstein's cigar off his hand. Then his arm replaced the blade again.

Frankenstein considers this a moment; then punches Soul in the face, knocking the albino off his chair. When Frankenstein turned back to reach for a new cigar, Maka drove her knife to the table in between her supposed-to-be mentor's hand and the cigar, barely missing his fingers.

"That is MAHOGANY!" Blair yelled.

Maka chose to ignore the cat witch, not caring if the table was expensive or not. She braced herself to deflect Frankenstein's hit, but it didn't come. Instead, he sits back and squints at the both of them.

"Well, what's this?" he asked. "Did I actually get a pair of fighters this year?"  
Soul rises up from the floor and holds his bruised cheek.

"Endure it. Your injuries in the arena will be more painful than that," said Frankenstein, then he turns to Maka. "Can you hit anything besides a table?"

"Why? Can you?" Maka retorted.

Frankenstein threw his head back and laughs. "You have sass, girl. I have a lot of experiences with knives, if you ask me. But, like I asked before, can you hit anything besides a table?"

Maka yanked the knife off the table, got a grip on the blade, and threw it to the wall across the room, making a solid stick.

"Stand over here. The both of you," said Frankenstein, nodding the both of them in the middle of the room. They obeyed and Frankenstein circled the both of them, prodding the two like animals at times, checking their muscles, examining their faces.

"Well, you're not entirely hopeless. Seems fit. And once the stylists gets hold of you, you'll be attractive enough," said Frankenstein. Both Maka and Soul didn't question that. But Maka still hoped that if the stylists will fix her up, she wanted to make sure that it'll get them more sponsors.

"Of course, I will make a deal with you. You don't interfere with my smoking and I'll stay sane enough to help you," he said. "But you have to do what I say."

Maka thought it wasn't much of a deal, but it was better than not having a mentor ten minutes ago.

"Fine," Soul said, and then shrugged like it was no problem to him.

Frankenstein smiled then paced back and forth. "Good. In a few minutes, we'll be pulling into the station. You'll be put in the hands of your stylists. No matter what they do, and I think you won't like it, don't resist"

Then he stopped in front of Maka. "Is it clear?"

Maka hardened her gaze, and then she said, "Yes,"

"Good," said Frankenstein, turning away. He grabbed another case of cigars and walked towards to the door. "I'll see the both of you at the opening ceremonies later." He said then the door slammed behind him.

The car suddenly goes dark. There were still a few lights inside, but outside looks like as if night has fallen again. Maka realized that they must be in the tunnel that runs up to the mountains and to the Capitol.

Maka and Soul stood in silence as the train sped along. The tunnel goes on and on and Maka thought of the tones of rock separating her from the sky. It made her very scared, like she was being buried in her own grave.

The train finally begins to slow down and suddenly, bright light flooded the compartment. They couldn't help it. She and Soul ran to the window to see what they've seen on the television, the Capitol, the ruling city of Panem. The cameras haven't lied about its grandeur. Maka thought it was like heaven, but it was the exact opposite. It was hell, and the other districts already knew that too, but they act as if they were blind. They act like the Capitol was their only savior. Maka knew better. It was a place where evil lurks and all of the people there were criminals, unaware of their crimes against humanity. While they lived the good life, the other districts starve and die in vain. Maka immediately hated it.

People began to point at them eagerly as they recognize a tribute train rolling to the city. Maka steered away from the window, sickened about their excitement, knowing that the people can't wait watching the twenty-six tributes die. Maka was also surprised that Soul walked away from the window, his eyes hard.

"What's wrong with them? Don't they know a thing or two about sympathy?" he murmured.

Maka didn't respond. Was Soul really speaking out about the Capitol? And was he against them as well?

But Maka knew better. Soul was also trying to save his life. He hasn't accepted his death. And Maka knew he'll go the distance into killing her.


	8. Chapter 5

**Author's note: Bonjour, mes amis! This is another installment of the "epic" Hunger Games: Soul Eater.**

**Well, thanks for waiting. Let the Games begin and may the odds be ever in your favor. Enjoy!**

R-I-I-P-P.

Maka gritted her teeth as Cleo, a girl with waist-length gold and brown hair with gold tattoos on her arms, yanks a strip of fabric from her leg, tearing the teeth beneath it.

"Sorry," Cleo pipes in her silly Capitol accent. "You're just so hairy!"

Maka wanted to roll her eyes, but she knew it'll just offend Cleo. Their accents were so annoying; it wasn't hard to mimic them.

Cleo makes what's supposed to be a sympathetic face. "Good news, though. This is the last one. Ready?"

Maka got a grip on the table she was sitting on and nods. The final swathe of her leg hair was uprooted in a painful jerk.

Maka had been in the Remake Center for almost three hours and still haven't met her stylist. Apparently, he had no interest in seeing her until Cleo and the rest of the prep team have addressed some obvious problems.

This included scrubbing her body down with a gritty foam that has removed not only dirt but at least three layers of skin, turning her nails into uniform shapes and, primarily, riding her body of hair. Her legs, arms, torso, underarms, and parts of her eyebrows had been stripped off of the stuff, leaving Maka feeling like a plucked bird ready for roasting. She doesn't like it. Her skin felt sore and vulnerable and tingly. But she kept her side of the bargain with Frankenstein and no objection crossed her lips.

"You're doing very well," said a guy named Deuce. He gives his green dreadlocks a shake. "If there's one thing we can't stand, it's a whiner. Grease her down!"

Cleo and Claudeen, a girl with a fur brazier, rubs Maka down with a lotion that first stings then soothes her raw skin. Then they pulled Maka off the table, removing her robe. She stood there, naked, as the three circled her, wielding tweezers to remove any last bits of hair. After a few minutes, the three stepped back and admired their work. "Excellent! You almost look like a human being now!" said Deuce and the prep team laughed.

Maka forced her lips into a smile to show how grateful she was. "Thank you." She said sweetly. "We don't have much cause to look nice in district thirteen"

That won the team over completely. "Of course you don't, you poor thing." Said Claudeen, clasping her hands together, distressed for Maka.

"But don't worry," said Cleo. "By the time Lyon's done with you, you're going to be absolutely gorgeous!"

"We promise! You know, now that we've gotten rid of all the hair and filth, you're not horrible at all!" said Deuce encouragingly. "Let's call Lyon!"

They darted out of the room. It was hard for Maka to hate her prep team. They were such idiots. And yet, in an odd way, she knew they're sincerely trying to help her.

Maka looked at the cold white walls and the floor and resisted the impulse to retrieve her robe. But this Lyon, her stylist, will surely make her remove it at once. Instead, her hands went to her hairdo, the one thing the prep team had been told to leave alone. Her fingers twirled around her silky blonde pigtails. The door opens and a young man who must be Lyon enters. Maka was taken back on how normal he looked. Most of the stylists they interview on the television are so dyed, so stenciled and surgically altered, they're grotesque. But Lyon's wavy head of blonde hair appears to be in its natural shade. He's in a white shirt and black trousers. The only concession to self alteration seemed to be the metallic gold eyeliner that has been applied with a light hand and it brings out the flecks of gold in his blue eyes. And, despite Maka's disgust with the Capitol and their hideous fashions, she can't help thinking how attractive it looks.

"Hello, Maka. I'm Lyon, your stylist," he said in a quiet voice somewhat lacking in the Capitol's affectations.

"Hello," Maka ventured cautiously.

"Just give me a moment, okay?" he asks. He walked around Maka's naked body, not touching her but taking in every centimeter with his eyes.

"Who did your hair?" he asked.

"I did," Maka said.

Lyon smiled. "It's beautiful. It represents you in every way; young, preppy and beautiful. It balances well with your profile"

Maka blushed. "Thank you"

Maka expected someone flamboyant, someone older desperately trying to be young, someone who viewed her as a piece of meat to be prepared for a platter.

Lyon has met none of these expectations.

"You're new, aren't you? I haven't seen you before." Maka said.

"Yes, this is my first year in the Games" said Lyon.

"So they gave you district thirteen." Maka guessed. Newcomers usually end up with them, the least desirable district.

"I asked for district thirteen," Lyon said without further explanation. "Why don't you pull on your robe and we'll have a chat"

Pulling on her robe, Maka followed Lyon through a door that led into a sitting room. Two red couches faced each other over a low table. Three walls were blank white; the fourth was completely blank, providing a window to the city. Lyon invites Maka to sit on one of the couches and takes his place across from her.

He presses a button on the side of the table. The top splits open and from below raises a second table top that holds their lunch.

_**Beef chunks in a creamy red sauce laid in a bed of white grain, tiny green peas, boiled potatoes; rolls that are shaped like flowers and for dessert, a fondue of chocolate and pieces of fruit.**_

What must it be like, Maka wondered, to live a world where food appears in a press of a button? How would she spend the hours she now commits to combing the woods for the sustenance of it were so easy to come by? What do the people in the Capitol do all day besides decorating their bodies and waiting for another roll of tributes to die for their entertainment?

Maka looked up and saw that Lyon's eyes were trained on her.

"How despicable we must seem to you" Lyon said.

Maka thought that he was right after all; a whole lot of them are despicable.

"No matter," said Lyon. "So, Maka, about your costume for the opening ceremonies, my partner, Sara, is the stylist for your fellow tribute, Soul. And our current is to dress you in complimentary costumes." He said. "and as you know, it's customary to reflect the flavor of your district."

For the opening ceremonies, they were supposed to wear something that suggests their district's principal industry. That meant that coming from district thirteen, where they create the Capitiol's magic items and weapons, Maka and Soul will be in some craftsman or blacksmith's outfit, no doubt.

"So I'll be in a blacksmith's costume?" Maka asked, hoping it wouldn't be indicant.

"Not exactly. You see, me and Sara thinks that the blacksmith's thing is so overdone. No one will remember you in that. And we both see it as our job to make district thirteen unforgettable." Said Lyon.

_I'll be naked for sure_, Maka thought.

"So rather than focusing on the crafting, let's focus on the magic items instead." He continued.

_Naked and covered in glitter_, Maka thought again.

"And there are magic items sometimes are flammable, thus they explode. And sometimes, they're like firecrackers." Said Lyon. "You're not afraid of firecrackers, are you, Maka?"

He sees the blonde's expression and grins.

A few hours later, Maka was dressed in what either be the most dangerous or dazzling costume in the Games. Her upper part was dressed in a silver breastplate, gauntlets and see-through gloves over a white shirt. Her lower half was a silver knee-length skirt with a shimmering rainbow colored belt and shiny leather boots. What made the costume special was the cape. Lyon made a cape out of glimmering jewels and dozens of firecrackers. He planned to set the firecrackers on fire in order to leave a colorful trail of lights using his experimental firecrackers.

"You'll be safe. It wouldn't burn or hurt you. It'll just light up and burst in different colors" he promised.

Maka wasn't very convinced. She didn't want to end up like a colorful barbeque when she reached the circle.

Her face was free from make-up; just a touch of glitter around her eyes and lip gloss. Her hair's been brushed out and was curled to make it wavy. For a final, and idiotic, touch, Lyon added a tiara.

When Maka protested, Lyon simply told her, "Well, you're going to be Panem's princess, aren't you?"

After a few minutes, Lyon and the preparations were finally done.

"I want the audience to recognize you in the arena. Maka Albarn, the firecracker from District thirteen," Lyon said.

Maka only nodded, but she hated the title. She sounded like she was from a flamboyant district; district 1 or 2.

Despite that morning's revelation about Soul's character, Maka was glad to see him in an identical costume-but instead of a skirt and a tiara, he was wearing sheer-white pants and a silver headband. Sara, his stylist, and the rest of the team, accompanied him, feeling giddy about their entrance.

They were whisked down to the bottom level of the Remake Center, which was essentially a gigantic stable. The opening ceremonies were about to start.

Pairs of tributes were being loaded to their chariots pulled by horses. District 13's were painted white and silver.

Lyon and Sara directed Soul and Maka into the chariot and arranged their body positions, the drape of their capes, before moving off to consult with each other.

"What do you think?" Maka whispered to Soul. "About the firecrackers?"

Soul shuddered. "I'll rip off your cape if you rip off mine."

"Deal" Maka said. Then she noticed that someone was missing. "Where's Frankenstein?"

Soul shrugged. "Dunno. It wouldn't be good having him around the firecrackers. He might think it's a good alternative for his cigars."

Suddenly, they busted out laughing.

The opening music begins. It was easy enough to hear, blasted around the Capitol. Massive doors slid open, revealing the crowd-lined streets. The tributes of District 1 rode out in a chariot pulled by snow white horses.

District 2 quickly followed them. In no time, Maka and Soul were approaching the doors and Maka could see the overcast sky and the evening light. The tributes from District 12 were already rolling out when Lyon returns with a lit up torch.

"Here we go," said Lyon and sets the capes on fire. The firecrackers were setting off one by one, releasing one vibrant color at a time, exploding in a million colors. It didn't burn nor sting them. In fact, Maka felt ticklish every time the cape touched her bare legs.

"It works." Lyon smiled. "Remember, heads up. Smile. They're going to love you!"

He had one last idea and shouted something at them, but the music drowned his voice.

"What's he saying?" Maka asked Soul. She realized that Soul looked dazzling with the fireworks illuminating his face. She guessed that she must be too.

Soul grins, showing off his shark-like teeth. "He said to do this."

Soul's right arm slipped to Maka's slender waist and his left arm morphed into a red and black scythe. "A way to symbolize our district, right?"

Maka smiled back. They finally entered the city. The crowd's initial alarm of their appearance quickly changed to cheers and shouts of "District 13!"

Each head turned their way, pulling their attention from the three chariots ahead from them.

At first, Maka was frozen, but then she caught the sight of her and Soul on a large television screen and was floored on how breathtaking they looked.

Maka lifted her chin a little higher and gave the crowd a winning smile. As she gained confidence, she actually blew a few kisses to the crowd. The people of the Capitol went nuts, showing them with flowers, shouting their first names, with the people managed to find in the program.

The pounding music, the cheers, the admiration worked its way to Maka's blood and she cannot surpass her excitement. Lyon had given her a great advantage. No one will forget her. Not her looks nor her name. Maka Albarn, the firecracker from District 13.

For the first time, Maka felt a flicker of hope rising up in her. Surely there must be on sponsor willing to take her on!

Someone threw a red rose and Maka caught it, giving it a delicate sniff and blew a kiss at the general direction of the giver. A hundred hands reached up to catch the kiss, as if it was a real and tangible thing.

"Soul! Maka! Soul! Maka!" their names were being called from all the sides. But they quickly changed to, "SoMa! SoMa! SoMa! SoMa!"

Maka blushed. The people actually think that she and Soul was a couple. She wanted to protest….but the attention everyone was giving her made her think that it was okay.

Maka looked at Soul and smiled. She saw his soul, light blue with slanted eyes and a crooked smile, surrounded by music notes. It was beautiful and very alluring. Maka wanted to believe that she could almost trust Soul. Almost. She still suspected that he has a plan into killing her.

It wasn't until they reached the City Circle that Maka realized that she must've stopped the circulation in Soul's arm. She reached for her waist, but Soul cringed.

"No, don't. I can't stand still on this thing. You have to help me balance." He whispered through his grin.

Maka nodded. "Sure"

The thirteen chariots filled the City Circle. On the buildings that surrounded the circle, every window was packed with the most prestigious residents in the Capitol. The horses pulled up in front of President Mosquito's mansion as they came into a halt, the music ended in a flourish.

The president stands over his pedestal and gives the official welcome from the balcony above the tributes.

The darker it becomes, the more visible Maka and Soul was because of their costumes. When the national anthem plays, they made an effort to do a quick cut around to each pair of tributes, but the camera holds on to the District 13 chariot as it parades around the circle for the final time and vanishes to the Training Centre.

The doors just closed behind them when they were engulfed by the prep team, congratulating them. As Maka glanced around, she noticed that some of the tributes were shooting them dirty looks; which confirms Maka was suspecting. They outshone them all, literally.

Lyon and Sara removed the capes and extinguished them with an aerosol can.

"Thanks for letting me get a hold of you out there. I might've fallen off that chariot," Soul said. "We make a pretty good team, don't you think?"

Maka was confused at first, but she gave Soul a small smile. "Yeah," she answered.

Maka already knew Soul's motives. Even though she knows that she could trust him, she thinks that it was a part of a plan to kill her.

_Well, deception is always an element in the Games,_ Maka thought. _Two can play at that game._

Maka gave Soul a kiss, right on his bruise.


	9. Chapter 6

**Author's note: Hey, guys! Thanks for supporting this story. I hope you all like this new chapter of the Hunger Games: Soul Eater! New adventures wait! And I know some of you are wondering: who will Maka choose between Kid and Soul? And does Soul like Maka? What surprises do these tributes have in store? Read and review and I will answer your questions as soon as possible. May the odds be ever in your favour!**

The Training Centre has a tower designed exclusively for the tributes and their teams. That will be their home until the actual games began. Each district had an entire floor. They just simply had to step into an elevator and press the number of their district. Easy enough for anyone to remember.

Maka had ridden the elevator a couple of times in the Justice Building back in District 13. Once to receive the money for the tea leaves the mayor bought and yesterday to say her final goodbyes to her family and friends. But it was a dark box that moves like a snail and smells like a dead rat. The walls of the elevator Maka was now riding was made out of crystal so that they could watch the people on the ground floor shrink into ants as they shot up into the air.

Apparently, Blair's duties didn't conclude at the station. She and Frankenstein will be overseeing Maka and Soul right into the arena. Blair was completely helpful, where as getting sponsors. But the sponsors Maka had seen were mostly men and Blair was seen with each one during the ceremonies.

In a way, because at least Blair could be counted on to corral Maka and Soul around the places on time, whereas they haven't seen Frankenstein since he agreed to help them on the train. Maka had a strong feeling that he was passed out somewhere, probably from inhaling too much smoke. Blair, on the other hand, seemed to be flying high. Maka and Soul had been the first team she ever chaperoned that made a big splash at the opening ceremonies. Blair was complimentary about not just their costumes but how they've conducted themselves. And, to hear her tell it, Blair knows everyone who's anyone in the Capitol and has been talking to them all day, trying to win both Maka and Soul sponsors.

"I've been very mysterious though," Blair told them. "Because, of course, Frankenstein hasn't bothered to tell me your strategies, but I've done my best of what I have to work with. How Maka won the hearts of the people back in district thirteen, bidding her goodbye by using that old gesture. How Soul won the hearts of the people of Panem with his incredible ability of turning into a scythe and his good looks. How the both of you overcame the barbarism of your district."

_Barbarism?_ Maka thought. She felt her stomach aching from keeping her laughter in. That was really ironic, coming from a woman helping them prepare for a slaughter. And what's she basing their success on; their table manners?

"Unfortunately," Blair said grimly. "I can't seal the sponsor deals for you. Only Frankenstein can do that." Then she grinned evilly. "But don't worry. I'll get him to the table at gunpoint or turn him into a rat if I had to."

Maka shuddered. Even though she thought that Blair Catswell was an air-headed bimbo (No offence), she could be very scary if she's angry. Who would even dare cross her? And if the cat witch turns you into a rat, Maka could guess that Blair would either chase or eat you until you give up. But although she lacks in several compartments, Maka admired Blair's sheer determination.

Maka's quarters are much larger than her house back home. They were plush, just like the train car, but also have so many automated gadgets that she's sure she won't have time to press all the buttons. The shower alone has a panel with more than a hundred options Maka can choose; regulating water temperature, pressure, soaps, shampoos, scents, oils, and massaging sponges.

The window zooms in and out on parts of the city at her command. She only needed to press a button on a remote and it appears instantly on the glass window. Once, Maka pressed a button and a forest appeared. Maka really wanted to go to that forest. It made her homesick, making her miss the Valley, where she and Kid were free to hunt. She missed that and Kid…..

She wondered what he was doing at that second. Maybe hunting or attending to his father. Maka longed for Kid to be by her side. That last kiss Maka gave him made Maka wonder; did she ever had feelings for him? If she even did, would she tell Kid?

Someone knocked on the door. It was Blair, calling Maka for dinner. Soul, Sara and Lyon were standing out at the balcony that overlooks the Capitol when Maka and Blair entered the dining room. Maka was glad to see the stylists, particularly after she heard that Frankenstein will be joining them. A meal with Blair and Frankenstein is bound to be a disaster. A silent young man, an Avox, offers them all stemmed glasses of wine, but Maka turned hers down, seeing as how her father got drunk after work.

Frankenstein shows up just as dinner is being served. He doesn't turn down the offer of wine, but he starts on his soup. Lyon and Sara must've had a civilizing effect on both Blair and Frankenstein. They addressed each other decently. And they both did nothing but praise the stylists about the opening ceremonies.

While they made small talk, Maka concentrated on the meal.

_A roasted pig covered with vegetables, creamy mushroom soup, noodles in a white sauce, cheese that melts on her tongue and sweet blue grapes. _

Maka tried to focus on the talk when an Avox girl sets a gorgeous-looking cake on the table and lights it up, setting off the miniature fireworks that explodes in a million colors. Before Maka could even comment on how beautiful the cake was, Soul spoke up.

"That was gorgeous," he said, grinning and looking straight into Maka's eyes. "But not as gorgeous as you, Maka."

Maka felt herself blushing, but even redder when everybody's eyes were on her.

"Are you two…..a couple?" Frankenstein asked.

Maka thought that it was just like the opening ceremonies, when the people thought that she and Soul was a couple. What on earth were these people thinking?

"No, we're not." Maka firmly said.

She looked at Soul, but his eyes were on the skyline of the Capitol. But the blushes on his cheeks were unmistakable. Does Soul like her? Maka shook the idea. They were going to be sent into the arena in a few days and the last thing she wanted to do is develop feelings for Soul Eater Evans.

Lyon, Sara, Frankenstein and Bair were exchanging grins.

"Pity! You both look good together!" Blair gushed.

Frankenstein nodded in agreement with Blair.

"Yes, and it could be a great strategy at the games as well. In terms of sponsors, of course. You and Soul could be the star-crossed lovers of District thirteen"

Maka felt a burning sensation crawling to her face, then to her entire body. She knew that it wasn't a good idea to use love as a strategy in the games. It was entirely foolish and definitely dangerous. She saw her mother and her father, both in love, fooled around, and the next thing Maka knew was that Kami asked for a divorce. Maka knew better. And she was trying hard NOT to follow their example.

But it seemed like Lyon was on her side.

"It's not a good idea, Frankenstein. Fooling with love is catastrophic and you know that." He said.

Maka mouthed a "thank-you" to Lyon, who winked at her. He looked at Frankenstein, who sighed.

"Well, that's that, I guess," he said. "And Lyon ordered the cake specially to honor your colorful debut"

They ate the cake and moved to the sitting room to watch the replay of the opening ceremonies that's being broadcasted live. A few other couples made a nice impression, but no one held a candle compared to Maka and Soul. Even their own group was dazzled on how amazing they look.

"Whose idea was the scythe?" Frankenstein asked.

"Lyon's" Sara said.

"Very nice," Frankenstein said. "A perfect touch of rebellion."

_Rebellion?_ Maka thought. She suddenly remembered the other couples, standing stiffly apart, never touching or acknowledging each other, as if their fellow tribute didn't exist, as if the Games had already began.

"Tomorrow morning's the first training session. Meet me for breakfast and I'll tell you how I want to play it," Frankenstein told Maka and Soul. "Now go get some sleep and let the grown-ups talk."

Maka and Soul walked back together down the corridor to their rooms. When they got to Maka's door, Soul leans against the frame, not blocking the entrance entirely, but insisting that Maka paid attention to him.

"Can we talk?" he asked.

"Talk about what?" Maka snapped. She knew it came out harshly, but she didn't care. She knew he deserved it for embarrassing her in front of everyone earlier.

Soul's face darkened, but he kept a small smile. He could pick up Maka's hesitation somehow. "Have you seen the roof yet?" Maka shook her head. "Lyon showed me. You can practically see the whole city. The wind's a bit loud though."

Maka translated it to, "No one can overhear us talking."

She nodded, though something was very suspicious. "Can we go up?"

"Sure," said Soul. Maka followed him through some flights of stairs that lead up to the roof. As they stepped into the cool, windy, evening air, Maka caught her breath at the view. The Capitol twinkled like a vast field of fireflies.

Maka and Soul walked to the railing at the edge of the roof.

"Do you want to see the garden?" Soul asked.

Maka nodded again. Soul smiled and led Maka to the other side of the dome where they've built a garden with different kinds of flowers and potted plants.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" Maka asked.

Soul chuckled. "Oh, yeah. That" he said. Maka saw how Soul's smile slowly vanished from his face.

"Have you ever dreamed of a world where the Capitol wasn't ruling over us? Where the Games didn't exist? Where we don't die for entertainment?" he asked.

Maka's eyes widened. Was the peaceful Soul Eater Evans she knew was actually a rebel like her? To long to have taste of freedom? And to finally have a world she always dreamed about? To live in Death City like her ancestors did? Those questions crowded Maka's head so fast, she was afraid it might explode.

She slowly nodded, fully aware of the surveillance of the Capitol over them, but the wind chimes in the trees might be disorienting their conversation.

"All the time." She said.

Soul smiled. "Well, what if that came true? Would you like that?"

Maka nodded again. "Well yes, Soul, but why are you asking me this?"

Soul pretended to examine a flower. "Because I know I can tempt you to do something with me."

Maka raised an eyebrow. "Which is?"

Soul picked the flower and Maka realized that it was a thorn less red rose.

"Repeat what happened decades ago. The rebellion. The uprising. Maka, think about it. If we return to district thirteen, we can talk to the other meisters and weapons to join us. To have our freedom, to have our city back. Don't you want that?" he asked his tone urgent.

"I do, but….."Maka's voice faltered. She bit her lip. She didn't want the words to slip out of her mouth, but she had to say it before it's too late.

"But only one of us can go back home alive." She finished. She could see in Soul's shocked expression that he hasn't thought that one through.

"Oh, I see." He said. He handed Maka the rose, which she accepted gingerly.

"Maka, there's one thing I really want you to know." He said.

"What is it?"Maka asked her olive eyes locked with Soul's blood-red eyes.

Even though she considered him as an enemy before, she can now consider him as an ally, as a partner. As a friend. But her face was tingling with heat and her heart was pounding. That surprised her a little, because she only felt that way before with Kid. But now….why in the world is she feeling it with Soul?

But before Maka could think again, Soul held both of her hands in his and said, "In the arena, I'll protect you with my life. I don't care if I die or if I get hurt, just as long as you're safe, okay?"

Maka's face burned with heat again. Her eyes widened.

"Are you saying that you'd rather die? I thought….I thought you wanted to start a rebellion?" she stammered.

"But I can't start it with you," said Soul."Or rather…..I can't live without you."

Maka's ears ringed. Questions were forming in her head again or ideas that suggest what Soul was talking about, but none made sense to her. All she could process were Soul's five final words: _I can't live without you. _

Maka could see it all in Soul's eyes. He wasn't trying to kill her. He was trying to keep her alive.

"You're shivering." Soul said.

The cold wind must've taken all the warmth from her body without her noticing it. Soul takes off his jacket and wraps it around Maka's shoulders.

The albino smiled sweetly. A smile Maka wanted to remember forever.

"If you get back home, tell my parents the best, okay? Be the leader everyone would expect. Free our people, Maka. I-"he said but he was cut short when Maka started yelling at him.

"JUST STOP IT!" she yelled. Maka could feel her emotions churning up, like it was all going to burst. The unwanted tears she kept all these times finally dripped to her cheeks. "You're not going to die, Soul. Stop talking like you are. There are chances that I wouldn't even survive in the games. I already knew that hour ago. But chances are, you're going to be the victor, I assure you. "

Soul seemed to be surprised by Maka's sudden outburst, but he had the courage to wipe all the tears from her face and Maka didn't even protest.

"Okay, I won't talk about that anymore." He said. "But I can't afford to lose you, Maka. You don't deserve to die in the hands of those tributes. If I could just turn back time, I would've stopped Blair from picking your name and choose another instead. I deserve to be in this position, Maka. Ten years, I didn't speak to you and never got the chance to get to know you. I regret it, really. I'm sad to know that the only chance I get to know you is now and we're both sentenced to die."

Soul gripped hard on Maka's hand. He smiled a little and Maka let herself smile as well, even though what Soul said was rather an apology, not a promise, but she had to smile.

"One last thing." Said Soul.

"What?" Maka asked, trying to prepare for the worst.

Soul leaned forward and whispered into Maka's ear three simple yet memorable words that's bound to change their lives forever.

"I love you…"

They were both at Maka's door. Maka gave Soul his jacket back.

"So, um, goodnight" she said.

Soul smiled. "See you tomorrow." He said. He walked down the hall, but Maka realized that she had to do something right.

Maka ran up to Soul, pulled him back and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Goodnight." She said and ran back to her room. She closed the door behind her and smiled. It was the best night of her life and she hoped that she'll never forget it.

But she thought of Soul wanting to start a rebellion against the Capitol made her very queasy. It was dangerous and it might never work, but Maka knew better.

She knew everyone in District 13 will agree to what Soul was planning.

Maka kicked off her shoes and climbed under her covers, placing the rose on the bedside table. She smiled, clicked off the lights and drifted off to sleep, hoping to dream about Soul and how she could see him now.

**Author's note: I hope you all like this chapter. Hmm, I smell a plan coming. Please check out BlackRhymez13's fan fiction: I'll never Let You Go: Chapter One. I hope you like it as much as I did. So, jal-ja! And may the odds be ever in your favour!**


	10. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: Hey, guys. It's me again. I hope you all love this next chapter of the Hunger Games: Soul Eater chronicles. I've been very busy lately and I'm very sorry for any delays. So, I will repay you with the greatest story ever. So, please read and review. ****Jal-ja****!**

Dawn was breaking and sunlight filled the room when Maka woke up. Even though the Capitol's air was cool and misty, she felt great. Maka quickly got out of bed and took a refreshing shower. She was rubbed down with jasmine-scented oil.

When she's finally dried and moisturized with lotion, Maka found an outfit that has been set out for her; tight black pants, her hunting boots, a white sleeveless shirt and a thin black zip-up jacket. She tied her hair back in a bouncy ponytail and stared at her reflection in the mirror. She realized that it was the first time since the reaping that she actually recognized herself. No fancy hair or clothes, just her, looking like she'll be heading to the woods, ready to hunt. At least it calmed Maka down a bit.

Maka headed down to the dining room and filled her plate with rolls, eggs, cheese, bread, fruits and ham. Her mind wandered to her father, Spirit. He must be up already, getting his breakfast of rabbit and bread. Just two days ago, she was home. What did Spirit say about her colorful debut at the opening ceremonies? Did it gave him hope or just added to his terror that from the twenty-six tributes, only one will survive?

Frankenstein and Soul came in, bid Maka good morning and filled their plates. Maka's heart did a little tap dance when she saw Soul. He looked better; his face was a little brighter since yesterday. But it annoyed Maka when she realized that they were wearing the same outfit. She just gave it up because she knew it was pointless to argue with Lyon and Sara. She was more nervous about the training. There will be three days in which all the tributes must practice together. On the last afternoon, they will each have a chance to perform in private in front of the Gamemakers. The thought of meeting the other tributes face to face made Maka very queasy.

Frankenstein didn't eat anything but when Maka and Soul finished, he looks at them both and smiled.

"Now to business: Training. I'm going to coach you together. No objections. Is that alright?" he asked.

Maka risked a glance at Soul and he smiled at her. He nodded. "Yeah, sure." He said. Maka nodded in agreement with Soul.

"Alright, but give me some idea on what you can do." Frankenstein said.

"I can hunt with bow and arrows." Maka admitted.

"She's very excellent. My father buys her rabbits and the Peacekeepers always buys the meat she shoots." said Soul.

Maka probably blushed. She wondered how Soul knew those things if he claimed that he haven't gotten to know her for the past ten years. That remained a mystery to Maka.

Frankenstein looks at Maka and Soul and his smile widened.

"I can see your souls very well," he told them. "Maka, you're strong and competitive. You're a survivor. You're smart. You're willing to do anything to survive; even it meant breaking the rules, which you hate. Soul, your greatest advantage is your weapon blood. But being a member of the Evans family, I know you're somehow connected to music. You also know a thing or two about the dark forces that surrounds the entire country of Panem. You can also rely on physical strength, so don't doubt yourself when you're in a fight. The both of you can survive in the bloodiest part of the Games and, in my opinion; the both of you can be great partners."

That took Maka by surprise. Why in the world would Frankenstein want her and Soul to be partners? Based from his mischievous and terribly creepy smile, she knew that he wasn't kidding.

"You want us to be partners?" Soul asked.

Frankenstein twisted the screw on his head to the left four times. "It's your choice," he said. "But back to business. There's no guarantee that there will be a bow and arrows at the arena, but during your private session with the Gamemakers, show them what you can do. Until then, steer clear of archery. Do you know a few traps?"

Maka shrugged. "I know basic snares."

"That may be significant in the terms of food," Frankenstein said. "And Soul, stay away from the other tributes. They saw how powerful you are and may tempt you to join them. Alliances always form in the Games until there are a handful of tributes left. Remember, your only partner is Maka. Appear mediocre. Spend the time learning something you don't know yet. Swing a mace; learn to tie a decent knot. Save what you're best at until your private lessons with the Gamemakers. Are we clear?"

Both Maka and Soul nodded.

"And another thing; Maka, I knew Kami and Spirit. Your father and I go way back, when we were both teenagers, when we both served Lord Death. Spirit told me that you've inherited some of your mother's abilities." Frankenstein said. "The magic refusal wavelength, you can sense souls. You're like human radar. When you have free time, I want you to train with Soul. You got that?"

Maka nodded.

"And in public, I want you by each other's side; every second." Frankenstein reminded them.

Soul grinned. "That wouldn't be a problem."

"And you, Maka?" Frankenstein asked the blonde.

Maka looked at Soul and smiles." I can handle that."

Frankenstein nods. "Good, now go. Meet Blair at the elevator at ten for training."

Maka went back to her room without another word. She sat down at her bed, thinking about Frankenstein's plan. He was right at some point, trying to save the best for last. She wouldn't let the other tributes know that she can shoot an arrow very well. But another part of her tells Maka that practicing with Soul would spell disaster. It was almost ten. Maka brushed her teeth and started to relax.

By the time she met up with Blair and Soul at the elevator, Maka was smiling widely, Blair would've been proud.

The actual training rooms are below the ground level in their building. With the elevators, the ride took less than a minute.

The doors open into an enormous gymnasium filled with various weapons and obstacle courses. Although it wasn't ten yet, they were the last ones to arrive. The other tributes were gathered in a tense circle. As soon as Maka and Soul joined the circle, the head trainer, a tall, athletic woman with short dark hair and rimless glasses named Azusa Yumi, steps up and began to explain the training schedules.

But Maka wasn't exactly listening Azusa. Instead her eyes couldn't help flitting around to the other tributes. Almost all the boys and half the girls were bigger than her; even though many of the tributes haven't been fed properly. She could see it in their bones, skin and the hollow look in their eyes. Maka may be smaller naturally, but her family's resourcefulness had given her an edge in that area. She stood straight, and while she's thin, she's strong. The meat and plants from the woods, combined with the exertion it took to get them, gave Maka a healthier body than those who saw around her.

The exceptions were the Career Tributes or Careers, which were trained and fed just before the Games. They were volunteers, who trained their whole lives for that moment. And, as always, the victor is always one of them.

When Azusa finally released them, the Careers headed to the deadliest-looking weapons in the gym and handled them with ease.

Maka was thinking that she's lucky that she's a fast runner when Soul nudged her arm.

"Where do you want to go first?" he asked.

Maka looked around and noticed that the Careers were intimidating the others, clearly showing off.

"Suppose we tie some knots." She said.

They crossed to an empty station where the trainer was glad to have some students. When he realized that Maka knew a few basic snares, he shows them a simple excellent trap that would leave a human competitor dangling upside down from a tree. They concentrated on it for an hour until they both have mastered it.

Then they moved on to camouflage. Soul seemed to enjoy that station, mixing mud, clay and berry juices around on his pale skin, weaving disguises from vines to leaves. The trainer who runs the camouflage station was full of enthusiasm at Soul's work.

"I watch the baker next door decorate the cakes." Soul admitted.

"Did you really?" Maka asked.

Soul slowly nodded. "When I'm not making the pies, I stroll down to the bakery to watch him work."

Maka looked at the design on Soul's arm. The alternating patterns of light and dark suggest sunlight falling through the trees. Maka wondered how Soul knew this, since he's never been through the fence before. She guessed that it must be from the trees around the city, since trees grow more frequently in Soul's part of the district.

The next three days passed on with Maka and Soul going quietly from station to station. They picked up some valuable skills, from starting fires to throwing knives to making shelter. Despite Frankenstein's orders to appear mediocre, Soul excelled in the obstacle courses and Maka swept the edible plants test without blinking an eye. They steered clear of archery and weapon training though.

On the second day, Maka and Soul finally practiced using Soul Resonance. Soul transformed into a scythe with a long and sharp red and black blade and a ten-foot long polished silver pole.

"Ready?" Soul asked.

"Ready." Maka answered confidently.

"SOUL RESONANCE!" they both yelled.

Maka felt their souls coming together, connecting, understanding each other, intertwining, like they matched. Power surged through Maka's body like ten thousand volts of electricity filling her veins. For Maka, it felt amazing. She understood every thought Soul had, like when they were kids when Soul first saw her. And how Soul felt when his name was chosen for the reaping: a mixture of happiness and fear.

"Witch-hunt slash!" Maka yelled.

Soul's scythe blade grew bigger, more colorful and transparent. Maka sprinted to the nearest target; a dummy used for knife throwing. She jumped, flipped mid-air, releasing the power from the scythe, then land on her feet. She looked behind her and saw that the dummy was ripped to pieces.

Soul transformed back to his human form.

"You did great," Soul told Maka.

Maka's lips curved into a small smile. "Thanks."

Maka immediately noticed that all eyes were on them; even the Careers, the Gamemakers and Azusa.

They started whispering among each other.

"Seems like they've taken interest on the both of us," Soul whispered. The blonde slowly nodded. "I guess so." She said.

Soon everybody went back to their activities, but Maka noticed that some of the Gamemakers haven't taken their eyes from them but she just continued training.

While they were practicing throwing spears, which Soul wasn't bad at but Maka is, Soul nudged her arm again.

"I think we have a shadow." He whispered to her.

Far back, Maka could see the pale, pink-haired girl from District 12 watching them. She has big dark eyes and a frown that seemed to be permanent. Just then, something emerged from the girl's back and became a small, black, muscular creature that Maka couldn't believe that came out from the girl's spine. It started pounding on the girl's head and the girl ran away to another station.

"I think her name's Crona." Soul whispered while he throws another spear.

Maka bit her lip. She realized that Crona's so thin and pale. She looked so helpless, Maka knew that she wouldn't stand a chance at the arena.

"Did you see that thing on her back?" Maka asked.

Soul nodded grimly. "She has black blood running through her veins. That's her partner. A demon, I think."

"How'd you know that?" Maka asked in awe.

Soul shrugged. "I'm just guessing." He said then went back to throwing spears.

Maka's thoughts on Soul kept getting more and more piled up in her head, getting more and more mysterious than before. How could Soul new those things about Crona? And how could he have known about her blood? It was like Soul knew things Maka didn't even know. And what did Frankenstein said about his family again? That the Evans family knows about the dark forces in Panem. It was weird. But Maka knew that it should be kept a secret, or it could be trouble.

On the third day of training, the Gamemakers started calling the tributes out of lunch for their private sessions with the Gamemakers. District by district, first the boy tribute then the girl tribute. As usual, Distirct 13 was slated to go last.

They waited at the dining room, unsure where to go.

By the time they called Crona, Maka and Soul were left alone. They sat in silence until they called Soul. He rose.

"Good luck. Don't go overboard." Maka told him.

Soul smiled. "Of course I won't. You, shoot straight, okay? Don't miss the target. "he said then entered the gymnasium.

After fifteen minutes, they finally called Maka. She smoothed her hair, took a deep breath and relaxed. Instantly, Maka knew she was in trouble.

The Gamemakers have been in there for too long, sat through twenty-five demonstrations. Some of them had too much wine. Want more than anything but to go home. And Maka knew she could do nothing but to follow the plan. She walked to the archery station, but Maka saw something in the middle of the room; a ten-foot long scythe with a black and silver blade.

Maka thought it was absolutely beautiful, absolutely divine.

But what was it dying there in the gymnasium?

Maka shook her thoughts away and focused on the mesmerizing weapons. Bows made out of wood, plastic, metal and others she can't even name. Arrows with feathers cut in very beautiful lines. Maka immediately chose a wooden bow, strung it, shouldered a quiver of arrows and walked back to the targeting area.

She picked her target. The dummies used for knife practice. She got into her initial position and skewers the dummy right through the heart. Maka even severed the robe that held the sandbag for boxing. It fell to the ground and the bag splits open. Without pausing, she shoulder-rolled forward and landed on one knee and sends an arrow into one of the hanging lights high above the gymnasium floor. A shower of sparks bursts from the lights.

Maka thought it was excellent shooting. She turned to the Gamemakers. A few were nodding in approval. But a majority of them were paying attention to the roast pig that arrived.

Maka felt furious, but she needed all the Gamemaker's attention. And the only way to do that is to be who she really is.

She dropped the bow and arrows and grabbed the scythe. It balanced well in her hands, like it was really meant for her. Maka spun the weapon in her hands and lunged forward, focusing on the target dummies. She sliced one in half and decapitated the other. Maka sliced one row of dummy heads clean off. Maka spun the scythe again and slammed the butt of the pole to the ground.

She turned to the Gamemakers, but they still weren't paying attention to her. They still were paying attention to the roast pig. Maka was furious again. She was being upstaged by a dead pig. She felt her face burning up. Without any second thoughts, she threw the scythe at the Gamemakers' table. Maka heard shouts of alarm as people stumbled back. The scythe decapitated the pig, it's head rolling on the floor. Everyone stared at her in disbelief.

Maka gave them a slight bow.

"Thank you for your consideration." She said and walked straight to the exit without being dismissed.

**Author's note: Okay, so this is not the typical Maka we know. I'm sorry for any mistakes I made during the training and the private session with the Gamemakers. I'm really new to the SE world and the HG world, so please don't hate me. Domo arigato gusaimas!**


	11. Chapter 8

As Maka walked towards the elevator, she wiped away her tears. She brushed past the gaping Avoxes that were guarding the elevators and hit the number thirteen with her fist. The doors slide together and she zipped upwards.

Maka reached her floor with tears running from her eyes. She could hear the others calling her from the sitting room, but through her tear-filled eyes, she could only see Soul. She immediately ran into his arms. He guided her to the couch, comforting her with soothing words and patting her back.

When she finally calmed down, Blair asked what happened and Maka told her the whole story. When she was finished, everyone was looking at her with disbelief.

"You did what?!" Blair asked. "Did you even realize what have you done? The Gamemakers won't take that so lightly, Maka! And you just left without being dismissed?"

Maka nodded slowly, guilty with herself.

Blair looked furious. Maka had never seen Blair like that before.

She should've stayed and apologized, maybe laugh like it was a big joke. But no. She walked out of the room without their permission. What scared her most was the feeling that they might punish her for what she has done to them. Maybe they'll punish her in the arena.

Just then, Frankenstein came in. Blair glared at him. "Did you realize what Maka has done? Did you know what she did?!" she shouted.

Frankenstein turned to Maka, grinned, and gave her a thumbs-up. "Good job, darling."

That surprised all of them. Mostly Maka. What did Frankenstein meant by, 'Good Job'? He wasn't there when she almost killed the Gamemakers.

Frankenstein sat across Maka and Soul. "I saw the whole thing," he said, chuckling. "And what did you say at the end? Thank you for your consideration? Genius!"

Maka looked at Soul, who was smiling as well.

"Am I in trouble?" Maka asked.

Frankenstein shook his head. "No. I doubt that they'll hate what you did. Since they're putting on a show, they will need players with a bit of spunk in them. And you, Maka, are that player."

Maka began to smile. "And they won't punish me?"

"Nope." Frankenstein said. "You're safe."

Maka began to feel a bit better. She excused herself and went to her room. She washed her face and changed her clothes into a shirt and skirt. Then she joined the others for dinner. And then they went to the sitting room to watch the televised scoring.

First, they showed the picture of the tribute, and then flash their score below it. The Careers got the eight to ten ranges. The other players averaged five. Surprisingly, Crona comes up with a nine. District Thirteen came up next. Soul pulls up a ten, which really impressed Maka. What did Soul do at the training that made the Gamemakers pay attention to him?

Maka dug her nails to her palm as her face comes up, expecting the worse. Then they were flashing the number twelve on the screen.

TWELVE!

Blair lets out a squeal and everybody was congratulating Maka.

"There…there must be some mistake. Nobody can attain twelve! It..it's too high! " Maka stammered, shocked.

"Guess they liked your temper, Maka." Soul smiled, planting a kiss on her cheek. Maka knew she was blushing.

It was a good day to end, but she was too tired to care at the moment. She went to her room and buried herself in her covers.

She drifted off, relieved, with the number twelve still flashing in her eyelids.

At dawn, Maka still layed in bed, watching the sun rise up at the Capitol. She knew it was Sunday. Usually, Sunday was the day when she and Kid stock up for the week. Then she remembered the day she met Kid.

It was February, the air cold and misty. Maka had spent the morning, fishing in the pond, shooting game as fast as possible. She was hurrying home, lugging her sacks behind her when she saw a rabbit struck at a tree by a silver hunting knife.

The knife was too expensive to be owned by anyone at the Grave. And she doesn't use a knife. Her fingers were on the shaft when a voice rang out, "That's dangerous."

Maka jumped as Kid materialized from behind a tree. He was only twelve, but he was clean cut and had a very regal face. She'd seen him around the Grave and at school, but never in the woods. He's the mayor's son. And he just caught her in the woods, poaching. She figured that she was in so much trouble.

"What's your name?" he asked, releasing the knife from the tree.

"Maka Albarn," Maka said in a quiet voice.

"Well, Maka," said Kid. "isn't stealing punishable by death?"

"I know and I wasn't stealing it. I was looking at it." Maka said.

Kid scowled at her, apparently not convinced.

"So where did you get those kill in the sack?" he asked.

"I shot it." Maka said, pulling off the bow at her shoulder.

Kid's eyes fastened at the bow. "Can I see that?"

Maka handed him the bow. "Just remember, stealing is punishable by death."

Kid smiled at her, but it took months for Maka to return the smile.

"Yeah, punishable by my father." Kid chucked. When Maka didn't laugh, he added, "Lord Death, see?"

"Ah," Maka nods. "But you won't rat me out right?"

Kid shook his head.

"No, I'm a hunter too. Besides, the Peacekeepers barely tolerate us, so we're home free."

Soon, they talked about hunting. A few months of sharing knowledge about the woods and the Valley, Maka finally gave Kid a bow and a quiver of arrows.

But after a few years, Kid became more than just a hunting partner. He became a friend, a trusted ally. Being in the woods with Kid made her happy.

Blair knocked on the door, calling her for breakfast. Maka got up, took a shower and head up to the dining room. Soul, Blair and Frankenstein was huddled around the table, talking in hushed tones. It seemed odd, but Maka eventually joins them.

"What's going on?" Maka asked. "You're going to coach us for the interviews right?"

Frankenstein nods. "Yes, but there's been a change of plans."

"What is it?" Maka asked, her body rigid. From the looks on their faces, it was bad news.

Soul looks at her straight in the eye and said, "I just asked to be coached alone."


	12. Chapter 9

**Author's note: hello, readers. I'm sorry for the mistakes I have made at Chapter 8. I know some of you are not satisfied about it. So, I will bring this next chapter to satisfy your needs. So sit back and enjoy. **

Betrayal: That's the first thing Maka felt.  
She trusted Soul with all her heart. And she fell for him, which was the worst part of it all.

Why in the world would Soul want to be coached separately? They trained together with no problems whatsoever. And now he's abandoning her. Maka felt sick to her stomach. She always hated that feeling. And what did she do to make him upset?

"Oh," she said her voice barely audible. Then she pushed back the plate the Avox served for her. "So what's the schedule?" she asked bitterly.

"You each have four hours with Blair for presentation and four hours with me for content," said Frankenstein. "And you start with Blair, Maka."

Maka abruptly stood, grabbed Blair by her wrist, and dragged her to her room. Maka slams the door and bolted the lock.

"Okay, Blair, start teaching." She grumbled.

Blair must've sensed Maka's anger because she lost her smile.

"Maka, dear, please calm down. Soul has a reason to ask to be coached separately. Don't worry. I'm sure he'll explain it to you soon. So let's get to work, shall we?"

Maka only nodded.

Blair puts Maka in a full length gown with high-heeled shoes, not the actual ones she'll wear at the interviews.

Blair instructs Maka on walking. The shoes were the worst part, since Maka never wear shoes except for her hunting boots and ballet flats. She can't get used to wobbling around on the balls of her feet. The dress also poses as another problem. It kept tangling around the shoes so, of course, Maka hitches it up and then Blair swoops down like a hawk, smacking her hands and yelling, "NOT ABOVE THE ANKLE!"

When Maka finally conquered walking, there was still sitting, posture- apparently, Maka had the tendency to slouch-eye contact, hand gestures and smiling.

Apparently, smiling was smiling more.

Blair made Maka say a hundred banal phrases starting with a smile, while smiling, and ending with a smile.

By lunch, the muscles in her cheeks were twitching with overuse.

"Okay," Maka smiled one last time for Blair's sake. "Thank you, Ms. Catswell. Now I have to eat."

She kicked off her shoes and wore her hunting boots. She changed into a spring green long-sleeved, knee-length dress, since she was hungry and she was in a hurry.

Soul and Frankenstein were both in good moods as Maka noticed. She figured that the content session must be easy, but she was so wrong.

After lunch, Frankenstein takes Maka to the sitting room, directs her to the couch and then just frowns at her for a while.

"What is it?" Maka asked.

"I'm trying to figure out what to do with you," Frankenstein told her. "How we're going to present you. So far, you're shining like a star. Lyon made you look unforgettable. You've got the top training score. You're a very powerful girl. People are intrigued, but no one knows who you are. The impression you will make tomorrow will decide what I can get you in terms of sponsors."

"So what's Soul's approach? Or am I not allowed to ask?" Maka said, raising an eyebrow.

"He's cool and laid-back. He has a sense to be liked and be calm in every situation he's in. and he could probably make the worse decisions, but he could fix them." Frankenstein said. "But you, Maka. When you open your mouth, you're hostile and stubborn. But you understand, you're intelligent and courageous. A perfect combination, but it's too…honest. So let's try a different approach."

Maka nods. "Okay, so where do we start?"

"Let's pretend that I'm the audience. Delight me." Frankenstein told her.

Frankenstein took the role of the interviewer and Maka answered his questions in a pleasant manner she learned from her mother. After an hour, Frankenstein sighs.

"Is there something wrong?" Maka asked.

"You're too modest, too nice. They all might think that you're vulnerable," said Frankenstein. "I've asked you fifty questions and all I heard was kindness. You have to act tough since you got the top training score. Act aggressive."

Maka tried channeling her anger, like she did at the Gamemakers, but she ended up hostile again. Frankenstein tried playing her cocky, but she didn't have the arrogance. Apparently, she was too vulnerable for ferocity. She's not witty, funny, sexy or mysterious. By the end of the session, she was no one at all.

"I give up," Frankenstein sighed. "Just answer the questions in a pleasant manner and try hard not to chuck things at the audience if they hate you."

Maka felt her chest tighten. At first, everything was going great then it went back. What made people give up on her all of the sudden?

She had dinner in her room, ordering an outrageous number of delicacies, eating herself sick and then taking out her anger at Frankenstein, at the Hunger Games, at every living being in the Capitol, by smashing dishes in her room. When Soul comes in to check on her, his eyes widened at the mess.

"Just leave it!" Maka yelled. "Leave it alone!"

Maka hated Soul too, for abandoning and betraying her.

But instead of fleeing the room, Soul sighs, closes the door and goes to the bathroom. He comes back with a damp cloth and wipes Maka's face gently, then cleans the blood from a broken plate from her hands.

"You know if you were mad at me for asking Frankenstein to be coached separately, you could've just got over it and smack me in the face." Soul told her.

Maka probably blushed. "Did I do something wrong to make you do that?"

Soul shook his head. "No. I just want him to help me with something very important. There's nothing wrong with you."

Maka felt herself smile.  
"O..okay. Just don't….just say something before you decide on things like that."

Soul nods. "I promise."

Maka spent the next hour helping Soul clean up the room. When all the rubbish had been dropped down the disposal chute and the food cleared away, Soul turns Maka's bed. "You don't have to do that." Maka said.

Soul grins. "But I want to." He said.

Maka crawled in between the sheets and let Soul tuck her in.

"Goodnight." He said, kissing her forehead.

Then Soul goes out of the room, closing the door behind him.

In the morning, it wasn't Soul but Maka's prep team who were hanging over her. Her lessons with her mentors were over. This day belonged to Lyon. He was technically her last hope.

Maybe he can make Maka so gorgeous; nobody will care about what comes out of her mouth.

The team works on her until late afternoon, turning Maka's skin into glowing satin, stenciling patterns on her arms, painting rainbow colored nail polish on her twenty perfect nails.

Then Cleo works on her hair, adding hair extensions that reached her waist, then making it wavy, then pulling it back with a white headband.

They erased her face with a layer of pale make-up and drew her features back out: Huge, dark eyes, full pink lips, lashes that threw bits of light when she blinks. Finally, they covered her entire body in a powder that made her shimmer in glittering dust.

Then Lyon enters with what Maka assumed to be her dress, but she couldn't see it because it was covered.

"Close your eyes," he ordered.

Maka could feel the silken inside as her team slips in down over her naked body, then the weight. It must be at least twenty kilos. He clutched at Claudeen's hand as Maka blindly steps into her shoes, which were shorter than what Blair made her practice in. there were some adjusting and fidgeting. Then silence.

"Open your eyes." He said.

The creature standing in front of Maka in the full length mirror clearly came from another planet: Where skin shimmers and eyes flash and they made their clothes from glittering fabric.

Maka thought the dress looked divine.

It was a sleeveless dress, the hem falling at her knees, made from a shimmering and glittering fabric. It was belted at the waist by a blue and white silk ribbon. The skirt was ringed by metal rings from the inside, so it puffed up. The slight movement gives an impression that she was being engulfed in blinding fireworks.

She was not pretty, nor beautiful. She was absolutely gorgeous.

"Oh, Lyon," Maka whispered. "Thank you."

"Twirl for me," Lyon said.

Maka held out her arms and spun in a circle. The prep team screams n admiration.

Lyon dismisses the team and had Maka move around in the dress and shoes. They were manageable, thank goodness.

"So, ready for the interviews then?" Lyon asked.

From his expression, Maka knew that Lyon had been talking with Frankenstein. He already knows that she's horrible.

"I'm awful. Frankenstein thinks that I'm too kind and vulnerable. I wasn't ready for aggressiveness, like I was in the practice arena. He told me not to chuck things at the audience if they hated me," Maka said mournfully.

Lyon thinks for the moment. "Why don't you just be yourself?"

"Myself? Not a good idea. Frankenstein thinks that I'm hostile and stubborn." Maka sighs.

"Well, you are, around Frankenstein." Lyon says with a grin. "But I don't find you so. The prep team adores you. The Capitol loves you. You won the favor of the Gamemakers. Face it, Maka. You are truly charming."

That was a new thought, but it gave Maka on what she had to work with. It suggests that not only she is a fighter, not only the bookworm the people at the Grave knew, but she can also win the favor of everyone she encounters.

"Okay. I trust your decision, Lyon" Maka smiled.

Lyon smiles and pats Maka's cheek. "Atta, girl."

Too soon, it was time for them to go. The interviews took place on a stage constructed in front of the Training Center.

Once they leave Maka's room, it will only be minutes until Maka's in front of the cameras, the crowd, of all of Panem. She and Lyon met up with the rest of the District 13 team at the elevator. Sara and her team had been working hard.

Soul looked very handsome in a black pinstriped suit with a white shirt and a black tie. He had skull-shaped cufflinks and his shock white hair looked newly trimmed.

While they look good together, it was a relief not to be dressed identically.

Even Frankenstein and Blair were dressed for the occasion. Maka accepts Blair's compliments but avoids Frankenstein.

When the elevator opened, the other tributes were being lined up to take the stage. All twenty-six of them will sit in a big arch throughout the interviews. Maka will be second to the last, since the girl tribute goes first.

Right before they paraded on to the stage, Frankenstein comes up from behind Maka and Soul and whispers, "Try to act humble. The both of you, alright?" then he leaves.

"Nervous?" Soul asked.

Maka nodded.

"Don't worry. Just act cool." Soul said.

"Easy for you to say, cool guy." Maka snorted.

Soul chuckled.

They stepped on to the stage and took their seats. All around the country, every television set will be turned on. And Maka knows that there will be no black-outs tonight.

Excalibur, the spirit sword who does the interviews for almost sixty years, bounces on to the stage.

He tells the crowd jokes (and annoys them by his indirect and headache stories) to warm them up, then goes down to business.

The girl from District 1, who looks very sexy in a skintight white gown, steps up to the center stage and joins Excalibur for her interview, made no problem making an impression.

With her glossy dark hair, Asian features and curvy body, she was sexy all the way.

Each interview lasted for three minutes and after that, a buzzer goes off and the next tribute is up. Excalibur made the tributes shine (and calls them "Fools!" when they say something wrong). Even the shyest tribute, he tries to make them confident, even laughs at their lame jokes and sometimes tells the story of his life (which really bugged Maka since she was really confused of when his story really began at a summer or at a winter). Maka sits like a lady as Blair instructed her, as the districts slipped by. 2, 3, 4. Everyone was playing up an angle. The boy from District 2 was a goal-getter. The girl from 7 is fierce. 8, 9. The boy from 10 was brutal. 11, 12.

Crona, who looked very sweet and innocent in a black long-sleeved knee-length dress with ballet shoes, walks her way towards Excalibur.

When he asks Crona what her greatest advantage was, she answered, "My blood is black and I have certain abilities no other living being can match or have."

Excalibur nodded. "I see. Well, I wouldn't doubt you. You're a very powerful girl. Do you want to hear my 1000 laws?"

Finally, they were calling Maka Albarn.

Maka took a deep breath and walked towards the center stage. She shook hands with Excalibur and took her seat.

"So, Maka, the Capitol's a change from District 13. What impressed you the most since you got here?" Excalibur asks.

Maka thought about it for a while.

"The…the Capitol during the night. It looks like a vast field of fireflies." She said.

"I see," Excalibur said. "It seems like you don't have much electricity back home." He laughed. The crowd also laughs.

"Now, Maka," he says seriously. "When you came out at the opening ceremonies, my heart just stopped. What can you tell us at what you think about your costume?"

Maka's eyes locked with Lyon's for a while. He nods.

"You mean after I got over the fear of being blown up to bits?" Maka asked.

A big laugh from came from everyone.

"Yes, start then." Excalibur says.

Maka smiled so confidently, Blair would've been proud.

"Lyon, he's brilliant. He's amazing. I couldn't believe that I wore that costume. I can't believe that I'm wearing this as well." Maka lifted her skirt and spread it out. "I mean, look at it."

The audience screams in admiration. Lyon made a circular motion with his finger.

Maka stood and spun in a circle and that won the crowd over. She sat back down and grins.

"Oh, Maka! That was charming!" Excalibur clapped. Applause from the audience.

Then he points his cane at the audience. "FOOLS! Why can't you be more like Maka Albarn?" he yelled.

The audience laughs like it was a big joke.

"Now, after the training. Twelve, your training score. It was very impossible but you've done it. Give us a hint on what happened." Excalibur said.

Maka glanced at the Gamemakers at the balcony.

"I'm not supposed to tell, right?" she asked them.

The Gamemaker, whom Maka had seen trip over the salad bowl yelled, "SHE'S RIGHT!"

"Thank you," Maka smiled. "Sorry, but my lips are sealed."

"That's too bad," said Excalibur. "But one more question. It's about Soul Eater Evans. Some say he's a very special friend to you. Some say he's just a tribute. What are your thoughts about him?"

Maka felt herself blush, but she had to answer with pure honesty.

"All I can say is that Soul, well, he's a nice guy. Well, more than that. He's considerate, understanding, confident about himself and he's a very strong competitor, but," Maka bit her lip. "I wouldn't want him to be gone."

A hush fell through the crowd. "Oh? Why is that?"

"It's because….it's because I…" Maka stammered. "It's because I…"

The buzzer goes off.

The crowd groaned in agony. Maka sighed in relief.

"Sorry, but we're out of time. Best of luck to Maka Albarn, of District 13." Excalibur said.

The applause continued long after Maka was seated. Now it was Soul's turn.

Frankenstein was right. Soul's cool, confident and definitely laid-back. He grinned and his charm made all the young girls, teenage girls and women scream and faint.

_Get a life_, Maka thought, rolling her eyes.

Soul brought the house down when he and Excalibur started singing the "Excalibur Song".

Now, Excalibur asks if he has a girlfriend.

Soul shook his head.

"No? There must be a special girl for a handsome lad like you." Excalibur said. "Come on, what's her name?"

Soul smiled."Well, there is one girl. I liked her since the day I laid eyes on her. But she never heard of me until the reaping."

Sounds of sympathy came from the crowd. Romance and unrequited love always wins them over.

"Does she have a boyfriend?" asked Excalibur.

Soul shakes his head. "A lot of guys like her, but no. she doesn't have one."

"Here's what you're going to do. You win, go home. She can't turn you down," Excalibur adviced.

"I don't think winning's going to help my case." said Soul.

"Why not?" Excalibur asked, mystified.

Soul blushed and said, "It's because it's Maka Albarn."

**Author's note: This is what I call a cliffhanger *evil laugh*. Stay tuned to read more of the Hunger Games: Soul Eater saga. And special thanks to jisko2ijsko for believing in me. Thanks, boss!**


	13. Chapter 10

**Author's note: Hello, hello, my darlings. It's been a while since I've updated the story. And now, I must apologize for all of the cliffhangers I had done. Now, on with the show!**

For a moment, the cameras hold on to Soul's red face and then to Maka's bright red ones and a smile tilting on her lips. Was this the thing Soul asked Frankenstein to help him with; tips on how to confess his love for her for all of Panem to hear?

"Oh, that's bad luck," said Excalibur with a real edge of pain in his voice. The crowd was murmuring in agreement, a few even gave agonized cries.

"It's not good," Soul agreed. "But I'll protect her to the very end. I'll die for her if I had to. I promised her that."

"Fool!" Excalibur said. "You should not make promises you cannot keep!"

Soul grinned. "Oh, I assure you, I can keep that promise."

The crowd cheered and clapped. Even Maka was amazed on what Soul had said.

"And…does she agree?" Excalibur asked.

Soul shrugged. "Not sure. She made me say that I won't risk my life for her, but I will. And if I die, I die. It's not a big problem. Just as long she's safe."

Cheers of admiration rang everywhere. And one question had everyone riling up.

"Does Maka Albarn love you back?" Excalibur asked.

Soul smiles, his eyes meeting Maka's. "I don't know, really. But I think she does."

Maka felt herself blush in spite of herself.

"Would you love to pull her back up here?" Excalibur asked the audience.

The crowd screamed assent.

"Sadly, rules are rules and Maka's time was well spent. Well, best of luck to you, Soul Eater Evans. And, on behalf of all the people of Panem, may our hearts go up to you!" said Excalibur.

The roar of the crowd was deafening. Soul had absolutely wiped the rest of them off the map with his declaration of his love for Maka. When the crowd finally settled, Soul smiles and says, "Thanks" and takes his seat.

They stood for the anthem. Maka had to raise her head in respect and cannot avoid seeing every screen now dominating by a shot of Maka and Soul, separated by a meter that in the viewer's heads cannot be breached.

Maka glanced sideways and saw Soul looking at her, grinning.

He mouthed the words, _I was serious. I love you._

Maka, if possible, blushed even harder. _I love you too._

After the anthem, the tributes filled back into the Training Center and on the elevators. Soul pulled Maka into an empty car and grins when the doors closed. He laced his fingers against Maka's. The doors finally opened at the thirteenth floor.

As soon as the both of them got to their loft, Soul wraps his arms around Maka. "Told you it was a surprise." He said.

Maka slowly nods. "Gotta admit, I was surprised." She said. "I never knew you had the courage to tell the entire country of Panem that you love me."

Soul's grin widened. "It's called confidence, idiot." Then he leans down. But before their lips could even touch, the elevator doors opened and Sara, Lyon, Blair and Frankenstein stepped out.

When they saw Maka and Soul, Frankenstein bellowed, "What are you two doing?"

Soul pulled away. Maka couldn't help but to feel embarrassed. She hoped if Frankenstein will scold them, he had to do it fast.

But instead, he smiles. "Shouldn't the both of you be celebrating?"

Maka was confused. Celebrate what?

"You won over the Capitol!" Blair squealed. "Sponsors are lining up the block just to sponsor the both of you!"

Maka felt herself smile. "R-really?" she stammered.

Frankenstein nods. "They all told me that the star-crossed lovers of District Thirteen are worth sponsoring, and I agree."

Maka wanted to jump for joy, but she did the unnatural thing. She hugged Frankenstein.

"Thank you," she said.

Maka may hate her mentor, but he kept his promise and helped them though the interviews and the terms of sponsors.

"Come on, let's eat" he said, pulling away.

They followed Frankenstein to the table and took their seats.

They started on the Cream of Mushroom soup, which was utterly delicious. Maka couldn't help but to think about what happened earlier. Soul, the boy who saved her life, the boy who promised to protect her, the boy who wanted freedom, and the boy who confessed his love for her in public.

But she couldn't help thinking the worst possible scenarios of Soul dying. She couldn't bear to live without him. Even though it was the Hunger Games and only one can survive, Maka wouldn't leave without Soul by her side.

After dinner, they watched the replay in the sitting room. Maka thought she seemed too modest, too girly and too clueless.

But the others think she was charming and very intelligent.

Soul, on the other hand, was cool and laid-back, but at the same time the boy in love.

When the screen goes dark, a hush falls in the room. Tomorrow at dawn, she and Soul will be roused and prepared for the arena. Both Maka and Soul must make an early start. There was no telling how far they will travel for this year's arena.

Maka knew Blair and Frankenstein wouldn't be going with them. As soon as they leave , the pair would head up to the Headquarters, hopefully madly signing up sponsors, working out on how and where to deliver the gifts. Lyon and Sara will be traveling with Maka and Soul to the very place they'll be launched in the arena.

Still, the final goodbyes must be said here.

Blair takes them both by their hands and with tears in her eyes, wishes them well and thanking them for the best tributes she ever sponsored. Then she kissed them both on their cheeks (A hug for Soul) and hurries out, to overcome the emotional parting.

Frankenstein crosses his arms and looks at them over.

"Any words of advice?" Maka asked.

"When the gong rings, get the hell out of there. I know the both of you are strong enough for the bloodbath at the Cornucopia but there are a lot more strong competitors out there. Just clear out, put some space between you and the others and find a good source of food and water." Frankenstein said.

"And after that?" Soul asked.

"Stay alive." Frankenstein told her. It was the same advice he gave them on the train, this time without the smoking and the hysterical laughing.

When Maka heads to her room, Soul was talking to Sara. Whatever words of parting can wait in the morning.

She took a shower and scrubbed off everything that reminded her of the interviews, except for her rainbow colored nail polish. It was a reminder of who she was to the audience. Maka Albarn, the Firecracker from District 13.

She pulled on a silk nightgown and went to bed, but it took her four hours until she realized that she couldn't fall asleep.

She jumped out of her bed and went outside her room. She went to the window that overlooked the city of Capitol.

But someone was already there, his silhouette black against the lights that shone endlessly.

The room wasn't lit at night, but Maka can see clearly through the room, her bare feet shuffling at the glossy and cold marble floor.

Maka was an inch away from him when she said, "You should be getting some sleep," she said.

Soul turns his head and smiles. "Sorry, I couldn't sleep." He said.

Maka walks toward Soul and sits at the opposite side of Soul, her arm leaning against the glass.

"What's on your mind?" Soul asked.

Maka sighs. "I…I just couldn't help thinking about tomorrow."

Soul smiled half-heartedly. "I see," he said. "You know, tomorrow, I'll try hard not to brand myself as a part of the Capitol, like they owned me or something."

"Well, you aren't," Maka said. "And you never will be."

"Yeah, but I know in the Games they will turn me into a monster that I'm not, killing everyone in the way," said Soul. "But I could never see myself do that."

Maka felt ashamed of herself. While she was thinking on how many ways she could survive, how many ways she could kill, Soul was trying hard not to.

"No…no one does," Maka said. "Soul, I….I couldn't imagine me without you. If you die in the arena, I wouldn't know what to do. Don't say that you'll die for my sake because I won't forgive myself." She felt tears spring up in her eyes. "If you love me, you won't leave, okay?"

Soul looks at her, tenderness in his eyes. "Yeah, sure." He said, leaning forward and wiping away Maka's tears. "I won't let anything happen to you. I promise."

Maka smiles. "I love you, Soul Eater Evans. Don't forget that." She said.

Soul smiled back. "I love you too, Maka Albarn."

Soul leans forward again and kissed Maka's forehead. "It's getting a bit late." He said then stands up, offering his hand. "Let's get some sleep."

Maka accepted his hand and walked back to their rooms.


	14. Chapter 11

**Author's note: Thanks for the love and support! Special thanks to jisko2ijisko and Omega02x. You guys always made my day brighter!**

Maka didn't see Soul in the morning. Lyon came in before dawn, gives her a simple shift to wear and guides her to the roof. Maka's final dressing will be done in the catacombs under the arena itself. A hovercraft appears out of thin air and a ladder drops down. She places her feet and hands on the lower rungs and instantly it's as if she was frozen, she can't move.

Some sort of electric current glues her to the ladder while she's being lifted safely inside.

A woman in a white coat approaches her with a syringe in her hand.

"This will be your tracker, Maka. The stiller you are the easier I will place It." She said.

Being frozen doesn't prevent Maka to feel the stabbing pain as the needle inserts the device deep under her skin on the inside of her forearm.

As soon as the tracker was in place, Lyon was retrieved from the roof. An Avox boy comes in and directs them to the room where they will eat breakfast. Despite the tension in her stomach, Maka ate as much as she could.

The ride lasted for about an hour before the windows blacked-out, suggesting that they were near the arena already.

The hovercraft lands and Maka and Lyon went back to the ladder, only this time it leads down into a tube underground, into the catacombs that lie beneath the arena.

They followed instructions to Maka's destination, a chamber for preparation. In the Capitol, they call it the Launch Room. In the Districts, they call it the Stockyard, the place animals go before slaughter.

Lyon did her hair in her trademark pig tails. Then the clothes arrived: A simple black shirt, black trousers, a sturdy brown belt and a thin black hooded jacket that fell to her thighs.

Then there was the boots. It was hers, newly repaired and shined. She wore them over skin tight socks. Maka was already finished when Lyon fishes out the gold Mockingjay and skull pin. He pins it at her shirt and hides it with the jacket. Maka stares at Lyon in bewilderment, but he only smiles and presses a finger on his lips.

Lyon guides Maka to the couch while they wait.

Maka felt herself trembling. She knew she'll be dead in an hour. Maybe less.

"Do you want to talk?" Lyon asks.

Maka shook her head, but after a moment she held out her hand to Lyon, who held it in his hands. That's how they sat until a pleasant female voice announced that it was time to prepare for launch.

Still clenching Lyon's hand, Maka walked over and stood at the circular metal plate.

"Remember what your mentor said. Run, find water. The rest will follow," said Lyon. "And Maka? Whatever happens in the arena, we will always be there for you."

"Truly?" Maka whispered.

"Truly," Lyon grins. "Goodluck, firecracker."

And then the glass cylinder lowers down Maka, breaking their handhold, cutting Lyon from her. Lyon smiles as the cylinder begins to rise. For fifteen seconds, she was in darkness and then she could feel the plate pushing her upward, into open air. Maka was blinded by the bright sunlight and only conscious of the wind and the smell of trees.

Then she heard the legendary announcer, Free, as his voice booms all around her.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, let the two-hundred and fifty-ninth Hunger Games begin!"


	15. Chapter 12

Sixty seconds.

That's how long the tributes were required to stand on their metal circles before the gong sounds and they're released to the Cornucopia.

As Maka ticked off the seconds in her head, she took in her surroundings.

First there was the gold Cornucopia, glittering under the sunlight. Food, water, weapons, medicine, garments, fire starters and other supplies that may give them life in the arena were stewed around the horn.

They were on a flat, open stretch of ground. A plain of hard packed earth. To her right was a lake. To her left were the woods. Maka was sure she needed to go there immediately.

Then something caught her eye. There, resting on a crate of fresh fruit was a silver sheath of arrows and a bow, already strung.

_That's mine_, Maka thought. _The Gamemakers want me to have that bow and arrows. Only me._

Maka now wanted that bow. It can only be her weapon against all the tributes. But she remembered Soul. He's the only one who can be with her at the moment. He's her weapon, her partner. Maka knew she had to be with Soul as soon as the bloodbath occurs.

She thought of the others back home, possibly watching at the moment.

She prayed that Spirit wouldn't faint while she fights for her life.

Seriously, can he not be so sensitive about her?

The gong finally rings out.

Maka sprinted and lunged forward, scooping up a pack of peaches. She sprinted another fifteen meters to retrieve a black backpack that could hold almost anything. She managed to kick the boy from District 7 in the face before he could even grab her.

A boy, possibly from District 8, runs in front of Maka, but something struck him from behind. He fell and Maka saw the knife in his back.

The other tributes finally reached the Cornucopia and were spreading out to attack. The boy from 10 already has a dagger in his hands, stabbing everyone in his path.

Maka couldn't see Soul anywhere, which worried her. Where the hell did Soul go?

The girl from District 4 was ten meters away from her, her left hand clutching a half a dozen knives. Maka heard the trainers talk about the girl during training. She never misses her target. And Maka was sure she was next.

Maka pulled the knife from the boy's back and ran toward the woods, forgetting about the weapons and Soul. As much as she wanted to risk her life to find him, she can't. She promised her father and Kid that she'll come back home alive. And that's the second thing that matters in her mind at that moment.

Both straps at her shoulders, she headed to the trees. Surely, she won't be pursued by the others there now.

She continued running and jogging until the woods had finally hidden her from the other surviving tributes.

Maka stops for a moment to rest. She cleaned the knife she got from the boy's back and slid it back to her belt.

She felt extremely guilty. She wished she could turn back time and save that boy's life….

Her thoughts were shattered when the cannons sounded, which represented the dead tributes.

One…two…three….on and on until they reach thirteen. Thirteen dead and thirteen left to play.

"What a lucky number," Maka murmured.

Suddenly, she as worried about Soul. What if he was one of the dead?

She shook her thoughts away and unhooked the straps of her pack and zipped it open, carefully laying out the provisions.

One thin sleeping bag, a pack of dried beef strips, a bottle of iodine, a box of wooden matches, a coil of colorful string (whee), a coil of wire, a pair of sunglasses and a water bottle containing water.

As she refilled her pack, Maka stuffed in the pack of peaches.

Twilight was closing in. Maka luckily found her tree. A tall oak, it's branches thick enough to hide her. Maka climbed up, sticking to the stronger branches close to the trunk.

Maka pulled on the hood for her extra camouflage.

As night fell, the air suddenly became cooler.

"Dear God, why does it have to be so cold?" she murmured under her breath. "And why do you have to make me go through this infernal torture?"

Maka only wished that no one in the Capitol heard her say that. She had enough enemies already.

She heard the anthem, which meant it was time to know who died today.

Through the branches, she could see the seal of the Capitol. The anthem fades out and the sky goes dark for a moment. Then they showed the dead tributes.

The girl from District 2. The boy from District 3. Both from 5 and 6. The boy from District 7. Both from 8. The boy from 9. The girl from 10. Both from 11. The Capitol's seal was back with a musical flourish then darkness.

Soul! He's still alive! Maka sighed in relief. She relaxed and finally began to close her eyes.

SNAP! The sound of a branch breaking wakes Maka. She thought of how long she had slept. Four hours? Five? The tip of her nose was icy cold. SNAP! SNAP! What was going on?

Maka judged from the noise was coming from several hundred meters to her right. Slowly, she turned herself to that direction. For a few deteriorating minutes, nothing but darkness and some scuffling. Then she sees a small fire beginning to bloom.

Maka wanted to scream every foul name at the firestarter. Sure, the night was freezing cold, but one has to grit ones teeth and endure it. But no-

Maka was just a stone's throw from the biggest idiot in the Games.

She lie smothering in her bag for the next couple of hours, debating on whether she jumps down from her tree and stab the idiot repeatedly or not.

Then Maka heard footsteps breaking into a run. Six people, on to her before she could even escape.

Maka knew it was a girl now, with the pleading and the agonizing scream that followed.

Laughs and sounds of congratulations filled the area.

Then they suddenly went quiet. There were some murmurs of agreement, then laughter. One said, "Sure, why not?"

Maka knew instantly that it was the Career tributes from District 1, 2, and 4. And the boy from 10.

The cannon fires and, to her horror, Maka heard the pack coming towards her tree.

"So are you willing to join?"

"And are you sure you'll lead us to Maka?"

Maka shivered. So they were looking for her.

"Wait! Maybe he's with her, and they're tricking us."

An argument broke out, but one voice silences them.

"No, I'm not with her. And, sure, I'll lead you to Maka with no problem."

Maka almost fell out of her tree.

The voice belonged to Soul.


	16. Chapter 13

Maka clamped her hand over her mouth just to keep herself from screaming and sobbing in pain. Bad enough, as the tears drip from her eyes, the truth finally dawned out to her.

Soul just played with her, tricking her to love him so that he can expose her weakness to the enemies.

Mixed emotions filled Maka's veins.

She wanted to scream, punch, and stab Soul over and over again. She wanted to be reckless.

But something reminded her to stay sane. She needed to survive, to come back home alive to District 13 alive and maybe with a few injuries.

"No problem at all, Soul?" a gruff voice asked. It was the boy from 10. "Are you sure? Or are you just bluffing? Maybe you're still a bit googly-eyed over her again."

Soul laughs. "Me? Fall in love with her? Please! Any man would go for a nice lady with a perfect body, not a kid like her."

Pain pierced Maka's heart, making it shatter in a million pieces. Soul was lying about that too? What a surprise..

Now Maka was really determined to stab Soul and kill him for good. She doesn't need any second thoughts for that.

The Careers laughed.

"You're alright after all, Evans," said the girl from District 1."Come on, let's go."

They all set off in a run just as dawn begins to break and birdsong filled the air.

Maka wiped away her tears, but cannot digest what she just heard. She knew she couldn't afford to show any signs of weakness-not now.

Maka cursed herself for being so stupid, playing into Soul's trap, letting her guard down.

Well, she decided that she wouldn't be naïve anymore. She won't be tricked again.

Maka wriggled out of her sleeping bag, rolled it up and stuffed it in her pack. She jumped down from the tree and landed on her feet.

She knew that the audience was beside themselves, knowing that Maka was up in the tree, that she heard them talking and discovered that Soul had recently joined the chummy club of vicious killers. What fun.

Before running off, she cocked her head to the side and gave a small, but pained, smile.

She checked one of her traps and was rewarded by one rabbit.

In no time, she had cleaned and gutted the animal and had set it over the dying fire of the dead tribute.

While the meat cooks, Maka thought of her father back home. Was he eating right? Surely, he was shouting at the television screen again, perhaps directly at Soul: "Yeah, that's right! Ditch Maka, you jelly fish head! You don't deserve her!" Just the thought about it made Maka smile.

Maka pulled on her gear, grabbed her spit, kicked over some dirt on the fire and took off in the opposite direction the Careers took.

She ate half of the rabbit as she went and wrapped the left-over in a leaf for later.

The meat stopped the grumbling in her stomach and the water quenched her thirst.

As she hiked along, Maka was certain she was holding every screen in Panem. She considered herself lucky that she can hide her feelings quickly. Soul showed his true colors and Maka never doubted him. Not even once. Okay, maybe she did, twice; once in the train and once in the training. And she never trusted her guts.

The sun finally rises to the sky and Maka could see everything in the woods. The heat got her sweating after a few hours. She took off her jacket and stuffed it in her pack because it'll be drenched in sweat in the rate she was going.

It was late afternoon when she found a cluster of berry bushes.

Maka stripped one fruit and examined it. What she thought was blueberries had a slightly different shape. She broke one open and the insides were blood red. Maka flung it away, sure it was poison. The Gamemakers are very nasty that way, putting out traps like that to hungry tributes.

Maka decided to move along.

When night fell, Maka hauled herself in a tree and belted herself in as the anthem played. She could see the girl from District 9, the one the Careers killed and Soul teamed up with before them. Maka felt a pang of jealousy. Shouldn't she be Soul's partner, not some girl he just met at the arena? What a flirt, Maka thought. But she was sure if she was in that girl's place, Soul will have no problem giving her to the blood-thirsty Careers.

By morning, Maka was feeling a bit groggy. Maybe it was the result of not eating last night, so she ate the rest of the rabbit and finished her bottle of water.

She jumped from her tree and began searching. The lake wasn't a good idea, since the Careers might already be there.

By late afternoon, Maka caught a whiff of something sweet; the scent of lilies.

Maka ran to that direction and found a pond, floating on top were those pink flowers in full bloom.

Maka filled her bottle with water and added the right amount of iodine to purify it.

She stuffed it back to her pack as evening approached. Maka retired to a tree, eating one of the peaches. By the time the anthem played, she was feeling better. There were no deaths for that day.

A few hours later, a stamped of feet awakened her from her slumber. Maka looked around in bewilderment. Of course, she could smell and feel it before she saw the actual thing; the unmistakable smell of a storm. The thunder was almost deafening and the cold air followed by the sheet of rain made her body shiver.

It wasn't hard to miss the trap the Gamemakers set up for all of the tributes.

It wasn't hard to miss the lightning heading her way.

_**Author's note: So, yes, this is one of the short and cliffhanging chapters you are all going to hate me for. Please, don't. My head still hurts from thinking too much. And please, watch out for the next chapters because they will thrill you all. So, I bid you au due. **_


	17. Chapter 14

**Author's note: Sorry for the late update, my darlings. But here's the next chapter of the HG:SE Series. Enjoy!**

* * *

Maka figured that she had the worse luck in the Games. First, she didn't get the bow and arrows. Second, Soul betrayed her for the Careers. And finally, she's still strapped to a tree while lightning struck each tree near hers. Icy cold rain poured in relentless sheets.

But Maka managed to release herself out of the tree, stuff the sleeping bag in her pack and land on the ground in a heap just as lightning struck her tree. A flaming branch almost fell on her, but Maka was quick on her feet. She rolled away from the spot where she was previously standing. She ran as fast as she could; only caring about her own safety.

Lightning blasted everywhere; hitting trees and branches, hitting the hard-packed dirt, momentarily blinding Maka then leaving a smoking crater that smells of burning soil.

Once in a while, Maka's face would hit a branch. Maka knew that the Gamemakers were to blame for this very unfortunate event. Since there was no recent deaths and the audience were already and probably bored, claiming that the Games were already getting dull. So, naturally, the Gamemakers have to take it up a notch. They have to bring the tributes together and let them kill each other.

Maka ducked as a lightning bolt blasted a tree to pieces. She stopped for a while, panting.

The audience must be exited now, seeing Maka suffer. All that running and dodging made her very exhausted and the cuts on her face were from all the branches she kept running in to.

Maka heard thunder again, signaling another round of lightning blasts.

Her muscles react, but not fast enough. The bolt hit the tree Maka was resting on and it erupted in an ark of flames. Maka runs then found her right arm burning. She extinguished the flame and the rain helped cool it down.

Maka knew the attacks were finally over. The Gamemakers didn't want her dead. At least, not yet. Maka made herself stand and run away as fast as she could.

The sky was still dark and Maka waited for more thunder and lightning, but none came.

She examined her arm and she wanted to collapse right then and there. The flesh was red and covered with blisters. It was the size of her hand and the pain was unimaginable.

Despite the pain, Maka had to move. The hours seemed to pass by and Maka realized that the sun was already setting when she realized that she needed to rest.

Then she heard the unmistakable sound of feet running on the ground. The Career pack finally had caught up with her. And they were now coming her way.

Maka sprinted as fast as she could and found a tree. She began to climb.

Maka considered she was lucky she was fast. As soon as the Careers reached the base of the trunk, Maka was already at the highest and sturdiest branch.

Kid often teased her that Maka looked like a squirrel while climbing. Guess he was right after all. Maka considered apologizing for all the times she smacked him in the head when she comes back home alive.

All seven of them; the five Careers, the boy from District 10, and Soul, and as far as Maka could see, some of them got burned and based from their very interesting hair-do's, some of them almost got blasted with lightning.

And really, none of them can climb the tree. They were either too big or too heavy.

"The kid got some skills, you morons," Maka yelled down. "I can climb a tree and you can't! Maybe I'm lucky to have this body, right, Soul?"

That takes them all back. They still haven't realized that she was in that tree while they were talking. _Maka Albarn outsmarts them yet again_, Maka thought.

"If I get up there-"The boy from 10 growled.

"IF you get up! Try it. Maybe you'll catch me," Maka taunted.

"I think I will," said the boy.  
"Here, take this, Bill," said the girl from District 1, handing him the silver bow and quiver of arrows.

_My bow and arrows! _Maka thought, suddenly mad. Just the sight of them made Maka tremble with fury. And now they were in the hands of a Career tribute just because she was so lost in thought.

But under some circumstances, hearing the brutal boy's real name seemed so hilarious. Bill? Really, did his parents never saw that their little darling boy will grow up to become a killer?

"No," said Bill (cool name), pushing away the bow. "I'll do better with a dagger"

Maka could see the weapon- steel blade with a leather bound grip. Bill started climbing, but after a few minutes, the branch he was standing on cracks then he plummets to the ground, swearing.

The girl from District 1, love Venus-as if she could be the Roman Goddess of beauty and love-Maka heard someone call her, scales the tree until the branch underneath her cracks and then had the sense to stop.

Venus tries to shoot Maka and she knew Venus was completely off-aim. It only landed on the branch next to the blonde. Maka was able to seize the arrow and waves it teasingly above Venus's head.

"Seriously? I've hunted boars with more skill than you!" Maka yelled back a bit cheerfully.

The Careers regroup on the ground and Maka could hear them yelling and screaming angrily, apparently furious that Maka evidently made them look foolish.

Twilight sets in when Soul says harshly, "Let her stay up there. She's not going anywhere anyway. We'll deal with her in the morning."

Maka wanted to climb down the tree and smack Soul in the head. Maybe kick him in his soft spot and make him sing soprano.

Yeah, deal with the girl you just lied to. That'll be _so _great.

Maka kept herself from groaning and moaning in pain as she slipped on her jacket. She slashed the fabric to let some air in.

Then eyes of some animal peer at her from the neighboring tree-a possum, maybe-,catching the firelight from the torches.

Then Maka realized they weren't possum eyes. They weren't animal eyes at all.

In the dim rays of the last remains of the sun, Maka made her out, watching silently through the branches; the girl with the big sad eyes.

_Crona. _

For a while, they held each other's gazes. Then, without any noise or even a rustling of a leaf, Crona's hand slides into the open and points something above Maka's head.

* * *

**Author's note: Cliffhanger again. Sorry, but I have to. Aren't you so exited already? No? Oh, you're pissed at me. Well, sorry. I tend to piss people off. Please patiently wait for the next chapter. So sorry. **

**Plus, I hear that Maka and Soul will be reunited soon. How? Well, found out in the next chapter. ^.^**

**Don't hate me! **


	18. Chapter 15

**Author's note: May the odds be ever in your favour! I can't wait for the Catching Fire Movie (even though it's still nine months away…)!**

* * *

Maka's eyes followed the line of Crona's finger up to the foliage above her. At first, she had no idea what Crona was pointing up to, but Maka made out a vague shape in the dimming light. She knew that buzz all too well.

She knew it was a bee hive.

But this was the Hunger Games and a normal bee hive wouldn't be right.

More likely, it would be one of the Capitol's mutations-the Killer Bees.

Like the jabber jays and tracker jackers, the killer bees were spawned in a lab, designed to kill rebels.

Their stings may appear to be small, yet red and swollen yet each pack a venom strong enough to kill twenty men.

Some can tolerate a few stings. Two or three can bring in hallucinations. But more than that, a person will be killed on contact.

Maka looked back at Crona, but the girl melted back to her tree.

She swallowed the saliva that built in her mouth. She knew she was doomed. She's wounded and trapped. The night only gave her protection for just a few hours. She knew that by the time the sun rises, she was already a cold corpse.

The hive was the only option she had. Maka had no other choice.

Maka carefully dragged herself out of her fork, secured her knives in her belt and started to climb up.

When she reached the limb that supported the hive, the buzzing became more distinctive.

The seal of the Capitol shone above her and the anthem plays.

_Don't let me die. Not yet…_

Her right arm burst with pain as she dragged the serrated part of her knife across the wood.

She was just three-fourths through the wood when the anthem fades (no deaths so far) and the sky goes dark again.

Maka cursed. She has to finish it now!

But she figured it was best if she does it at dawn.

In the faint light of the Careers' torches, Maka inched back to her fork and found a pot attached to a silver parachute.

Maka curiously unscrewed the lid and found a pot of sweet-smelling balm. From the looks of it, it was medicine.

Curiously, Maka places some on her burn and she moaned in delight. The pain completely disappeared. The throbbing slowed down.

"Oh Frankenstein," Maka sighed. "Thanks."

After wrapping the pot with the parachute and placing it carefully in her pack, Maka smiles and let herself fall asleep.

A bird perched just a meter or so from the blonde, alerting her that dawn was breaking.

Below her, Maka could see the Careers fast asleep on the ground.

She couldn't make out Crona from the other tree. Since Crona had given her a weapon against the Careers, she might as well give the girl a warning.

Maka called Crona's name in a hushed whisper and Crona's big, dark eyes appears, very much alert. She points at the hive again. Maka nods and makes sawing motions with her knife. Crona nods then disappears.

Maka smiled. If she was to die today, she wanted Crona to win.

Rosy streaks broke through the east. Maka couldn't afford to wait any longer.

She began to climb again and when Maka reached the limb that held the hive, she positioned the knife in the groove and she was about to draw the teeth across the wood when she saw something moving.

The bright gold gleam of a killer bee near the hive. It's yellow and black body with a golden stinger. Even though it's small, it's very deadly.

Maka took three deep breaths and began to saw.

The bees began to buzz and Maka could hear them coming out.

A stabbing pain shoots through her thigh and knew that one has found her.

As the knife cuts through, she shoved the end of the branch as far from her as possible. It crashes through the lower branches and it smashes on the ground.

The hive bursts open like an egg and a furious swarm of killer bees takes the air.

Maka felt a second sting on her cheek and the venom immediately made her feel woozy. She clung to the branch as she dug out the stingers from her flesh.

It was hell on earth.

The Careers have woken up to a full-scale Killer Bee attack. Soul and the others ran back to the lake, believing that they might be able to drown the bees.

Venus and the boy from District 4 weren't so very lucky. Venus's foot was caught on the roots of the tree and the boy tried to pull her out, but they received multiple stings before they could escape.

Maka watched in horror as they twitched hysterically on the ground and go still after a few minutes.

The hive was now an empty shell. The other bees have vanished. Maka immediately scampered down and hit the ground. The stingers were flaring up in pain.

Foul-smelling liquid oozed from the places where she pulled out the stingers.

She was on her way out of there when she remembered the bow and arrows.

She saw then next to Venus's body, the sheath of arrows propped up next to the tree.

Maka walked over and shouldered the weapons.

Finally, she heard footsteps and tried to position it on the bow, but she saw three strings instead of one.

Maka was helpless as the first boy crashed through the trees, his scythe arm ready.

Maka was sure she will die almost immediately. She knew that Soul will have no mercy on her.

The second hunter crashes through the trees. It was the girl from District 4 and Bill.

"Soul, why haven't you killed her yet?" Bill asked.

Maka fell over, the venom seeping in her veins.

"I think she can be useful," Soul said. "She's worth something to the Gamemakers."

Soul smiles and looked at the blonde.

Maka gave him a look of hatred, a look of resentment as her vision dimmed and she passed out.

* * *

**Okay, this is waaay different, since you guys say that it's just like the original. Relax, I'll change a few things, k?**

**Love lots, Yura-chan.**

**Ps. Listening to Still Alive by BigBang. (*cue: fan girl squeal*) **


	19. Chapter 16

Maka entered a series of nightmares of which she woke up repeatedly and fell asleep again-only to find greater terrors await her.

How many times had she dreamt of Kid being torn apart? Her father and mother being tortured by the Peacemakers? Soul being executed in gruesome ways?

It was too much for her-she was nearly driven to insanity.

If she had seen more, she could've been sent to an asylum almost immediately.

When Maka came around for good, she found herself bound in ropes, her body leaning against a trunk of a tree.

Her whole body was in pain and she felt that her ribs were cracked-others possibly broken.

She scanned her surroundings and realized that she was a few meters away from the Cornucopia. A big bonfire was set near the mouth of the golden horn.

Her pack and weapons were next to her; which is convenient if she wasn't tied up.

The big pile of supplies was all mounted in a pyramid, actual explosives surrounding it.

Maka pondered about that for a while. The Gamemakers wouldn't allow the explosives to be in the arena, right? Or…did they plant them there?

_What are they planning to do? _She thought.

She looked up and realized that her worst nightmare was in front of her. The three Careers, Bill and Soul-all sitting around the fire like this was a normal campfire.

"Well, well." Bill purred when he saw her. "She's finally awake."

The others smirked. Soul looked at the ground, his bangs covering his eyes.

"What do you want, Bill?" she growled.

Bill laughed. "What do I want?" he asked, standing up and striding to her. He crouched down and, like a viper; he drew his dagger and dug the tip at her neck. Maka's breath hitched a little.

"I want your blood splattered everywhere, Albarn. I want you to be a cold corpse. I want you torn apart. That's what I want." He growled in her ear.

Maka glared at him, shooting green daggers at his direction. She worked up a mouthful of blood and saliva and spat it at Bill's face. He recoiled.

"Go screw yourself." Maka smirked.

Bill's features turned angry. He raised his dagger and slashed the blade at Maka's face.

Maka yelped, feeling a wound open up at the side of her face.

Bill pulled Maka's hair back, slamming her head against the trunk. She groaned out in pain.

"Your death will be painful, Albarn. And I won't hold back." Bill growled then he lets her go, trudging back to his allies.

Maka took a few deep breaths to calm her down. Inside, she was panicking.

_If there was anything that was insignificant before saves me now, I'd be really grateful. _

But nothing came. _The odds are never in my favour._

Even though they were whispering, Maka could hear their conversation.

"What are we going to do with her? She's worthless. Let's just kill her already." Bill snapped.

"Patience. The Gamemakers want her death to be painfully slow and possibly bloodier." Soul grinned.

Maka gritted her teeth. Seeing Soul with the Careers makes her sick. What he did was absolutely deceitful. If she was to get out of there that second, she'll slit his throat.

_I hate you. _

He played with her feelings; telling her that he loves her, making her believe that he'll protect her- when all along he had planned to kill her.

She had doubts about him in the train. She scolded herself for not listening to what her gut was telling her.

_Stupid, stupid Maka. You were supposed to be smart._

"-so she'll be as good as dead tomorrow, right?" the girl from district 4 was saying.

"Yeah. And Bill, please make her suffer." Soul said.

Bill grinned. "My pleasure."

Tears fell from her eyes.

_I hate you, Soul. _She thought as she passed out again.

* * *

A kick in her already broken ribs woke Maka up. She yelped in pain, tears in her eyes.

"Wake up, Maka." Said Bill, his face encased in a snarl.

Pain exploded in her chest, but Maka managed to open her eyes. Gray light of morning was beginning to bloom. It could've been a beautiful day if she wasn't to die now..

She felt the ropes around her loosening up, and then it fell around her in a heap. She was free.

If she could just grab her bow….

But before she could even device a plan, Bill dug the dagger on her neck again.

"Stand and walk." He said.

Maka winced as she stood. Her ribs were making it harder for her to walk without falling in pain.

When she was in the middle of the field, at the mouth of the Cornucopia, Bill ordered her to stop and turn around to face him.

In front of her were her enemies; Bill, the boy from District 1, the boy from 2 and the girl from 4 and, of course, Soul.

So this was the end of her after all. No heroic death. No Soul saving her. No Kid with her, telling her that it'll be okay.

It'll be like this, in the hands of the Careers.

She wanted to scream every foul name in the world, why her life was this horrid, why was she here to die? Why it was so unfair.

Bill smirked as the others cheered him on. He drew his dagger and lurched forward. He stabbed Maka in the gut, making her scream in pain.

Maka was absolutely defenseless. Bill withdrew his dagger and smacked Maka in the jaw, making blood fill her mouth.

He punched her in the ribs, making her scream again. He held her throat in his fist, raising her a few inches off the ground.

Maka choked, her hands desperately trying to pry Bill off.

"Goodbye, Maka." Bill snarled as he raised the dagger again.

Maka squeezed her eyes shut as she awaited her death.

But it didn't come. Maka slowly opened her eyes and saw Crona, dark sword in hand, her blade on Bill's throat.

"Let her go." She said.

"What-" Bill snapped.

Crona glared at him. She delivered a slash on his arm, making Bill drop Maka.

She scrambled away, fazed.

The Careers tried to advance but Crona said, "Screech Alpha."

A big gaping mouth appeared from her sword and emitted a loud screech. Maka covered her ears.

She gasped in surprise as she saw a dark mouth like structure in a purple aura grinding through the ground, heading towards the attackers.

It exploded on impact, knocking the others off their feet.

Maka just sat there, gaping at Crona. How could someone so frail have so much power?

Crona pulls Maka off the ground and starts running.

"Grab your things before they wake up." Said the pink-haired girl.

Maka nodded and shouldered her pack and sheath of arrows. She held her bow tight and followed Crona deeper in the woods.

A wave of exhaustion and pain overcame Maka. She felt herself fall over, but Crona caught her. Crona wrapped an arm around her shoulders and half-dragged, half-lead her.

"I got you." Crona said.

Maka smiled a little. "Thank you, Crona." She said.

Maka closed her eyes and blacked out almost immediately.

* * *

**Finally! I have updated after 2 months! Sorry for the long wait, you guys. I was busy like a bee.**

**Anyway, Crona is slightly OOC here. Sorry bout that. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	20. Chapter 17

By the time Maka woke up, it was already late afternoon. She was lying on a makeshift bed made of wood and grass.

She sat up carefully, still wincing. Her ribs weren't helping matters at all. The cuts and bruises she accumulated during her capture still hurt. And the stings she got from the bees were now thankfully deflating.

Meat was cooking over a bonfire. Judging from the smell, it must be rabbit.

Her pack and weapons were beside her.

She remembered what happened to her earlier; Crona saved her from her captors.

She remembered bits and pieces of what happened to the others when Crona attacked.

After sending that move she called, "Screech Alpha", she saw Crona slash at them before they fell. And her blade had caught Soul in the chest.

Maka felt worried for a second, but she just brushed it off.

_Serves him right, _she thought.

She heard a twig snap behind her. She spun around, knife ready. When she saw who it was, she sighed in relief.

"Oh, Crona, it's only you." She said.

Crona gave her a small smile and, shyly, sat next to the blonde.

"A-a-are y-y-ou okay n-now?" she stuttered.

Maka nods, a smile on her lips. "Yes. It's all thanks to you." She said. "If you haven't saved me, I could've been dead by now."

Crona blushed, her eyes trained to the ground. "It….it was n-nothing." She says, handing Maka a water bottle.

Maka accepts it, taking a few sips before stopping. They were both silent for a while.

Maka fidgets a little while she was observing Crona.

She was thin and has a frail stature for a girl her age; with uneven pink hair and big, dark eyes. Maka thought that Crona looks cute while smiling.

Although she appears weak, Maka knew that Crona's a different story. She's stronger than she looks.

And she owes Crona her life as well…

"Hey, Crona?"

"Hmm?" the pink haired girl looks at her.

"Wanna become allies?"

Crona looks a bit surprised. "A-allies?"

Maka nods. "Yes, allies." She said. "Those Careers can't be the only one who can form alliances now, can they?"

Crona shook her head. "I….I don't know how to deal with this…"

Maka places a reassuring hand on Crona's shoulder. "We'll be fine, I promise."

Crona looks skeptical for a while, then, shakily, she extends her hand.

"Okay, i-it's a deal."

They shake hands, sealing their temporary partnership, although none had mentioned it.

Suddenly, something black emerged from Crona's back. He stuffed its fingers into Crona's nostril.

"Hey, Crona, where's my food?" he asked in a teeny voice.

"How can you even eat?" Maka blurts out. "You have no mouth."

He glared at her, and then opened his maw, which was big enough to fit Crona's head in.

"Oh, yeah? Then what's this; my ass?!" he exclaims.

Maka rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

Crona tosses him one part of the rabbit, which he happily ate. "Sorry, this is my partner, Ragnarok."

"DISH IS DELESHUSH!"Ragnarok exclaims, his mouth full of rabbit.

Maka laughs. Crona offers her a piece of the roasted rabbit. She smiles and takes a small bite.

"He's right!" Maka grins, savoring the flavor of the meat. "This is amazing. What did you put in the rabbit?"

Crona blushes a little. "I…I found some herbs in the woods so I stuffed the rabbits with them."

Their conversation stops for a while as they filled their stomachs with rabbit meat.

Ragnarok had disappeared for the night after he finished his meal.

"You know, I had a thought," Maka mused. "That since you're from District 12 and all. You mine coal there and you have to eat more than us to preserve most of your strength."

Crona shook her head. "No, not really." She said. "We work in the mines once we reach eighteen. We really don't eat a lot. Some of us just don't eat at all."

Maka was shocked to hear that. While she and Kid lives on what they hunt in the woods, others lose their lives from lack of it.

They decide to divide their supplies, just in case they get separated.

Apart from food, Crona has a coil of rope, a first-aid kit and a fine array of knives (which she never even uses).

Crona's eyes widened a little when she saw Maka's sunglasses.

"How did you get a pair?" she asked.

"I had it in my pack. Never used it though." Maka said.

"They're for the darkness, like night-vision goggles." Crona explains. "I used to have a pair, but I lost it during the fight."

Maka helped Crona extinguish the flames and after that, they head up upstream from the river.

"Where do you sleep anyway?" Maka asked as night fell. "In the trees?"

Crona nodded.

"In your jacket?"

Crona nods again.

"In that case, you and I could use the sleeping bag together. We can fit easily" Maka smiles.

A small smile played on Crona's lips. Maka was sure that this was more than the pink-haired girl had hoped for in an alliance; seeing as she had been stuck with a mean, bad-mouth all her life.

They picked up a fork high-up in a tree and settled in for the night just as the anthem begins to play.

There were no deaths tonight; so apparently the two Careers, Bill and Soul made it out alive.

_Drat, I was hoping that they would just die already, _the blonde thought.

"Crona, you know I've only woken up this morning. How many nights have I missed?" she asked.

"About…three." Crona said. "You were out for so long, I thought you were dead. The girl from 1 and the boy from 4 are, though."

Maka only nodded. She was glad and thankful that Crona saved her life. But she saw Soul getting struck in the chest with the dark blade.

One part of her was still worried about the albino, but one part of her was glad that he was almost dead.

"You're still thinking about him, aren't you?" Crona asked.

"Who?"

"Soul." Crona implied.

Maka slightly blushed. "That's just silly. He betrayed me and wanted me dead. Why would I be thinking of him?"

Crona smiles. "Your blushing kinda clued me in."

Maka blushed even harder. She huffed. "Well, I'm sure he'll be dead. That's what I'm thinking. I lost all my feelings for him already."

Even though she had said that, she knew she was just kidding herself.

She STILL had feelings for him even though he betrayed her for the Careers.

She hated to say it, but…she was still in love with the idiotic albino.

She adverted her thoughts from him and focused on how to get revenge on the people who had tried to kill her.

Then she had a crazy idea..  
"Crona, I have an idea." She said.

"What is it?" Crona asked.

"I want to destroy the Career's supplies."

"Really? How?"

Maka grins. "I have an idea that'll blow them away."

* * *

**So….mwahahahahahaha! Evil ideas hatch into an evil plan! Stay tuned!**


End file.
